Switching Sides
by IceBlueRose
Summary: Rietro. Magneto betrays Pietro once again. After he and Wanda begin to overcome their past, they decide to join the XMen to stop Magneto. Once they move in, some chaos, drama, and romance ensues. ON PERMANENT HIATUS.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, I'd be a whole lot richer and there'd be more of the Brotherhood.  
  
A/N: Yes. Another Rietro. Okay, and yes, at the moment Pietro is a little out of character, but that is being blamed on the shock, savvy? Very soon, he will become the speed demon that we all know and love. Or that most of us love. Anyway, this is based on a rumor for season four that one of my friends told me, which is that after Magneto lets Wanda blast Pietro instead of himself, Pietro and Wanda talk things over and make up and then join the X-Factor when Warren starts it up. I just changed one thing.they join the X-Men instead. Hope you enjoy (and go gentle on me if you decide to flame me okay? It's my, well second, Rietro fic, but it's my first one with actual chapters.) As I go on, the chapters will get longer, I hope. We'll see how all the characters feel about that. (Yes, I'm one of those where I think-wait a minute, I know-the characters tell me what's going to happen.)  
  
Betrayal.  
  
The word rang through Pietro Maximoff's head as he walked--yes, walked-- beside his twin sister, Wanda. Pietro shook his head. Magneto certainly wouldn't have won any Father of the Year awards, but Pietro had never thought that he would use him as a shield.  
  
Wanda had recently realized that the memories she had of her life weren't real. Once she had remembered that her family really hadn't been like the Waltons, she had gone after their father. When she had finally found him, she had sent a full blast of her power his way--and he had pulled Pietro in front of him. After, Pietro and Wanda had spent quite a bit of time talking about pretty much everything, including their past, and in Wanda's case, forgive if not forget. They had finally come to a mutual decision on what they felt would be the best way to stop Magneto.  
  
But that didn't mean Pietro had to like the decision.  
  
Joining the X-Geeks. That had seemed to be their only option to being able to stop Magneto.  
  
So, here they were, on their way to the Institute to talk to Roller Boy about joining him.  
  
At the moment, Pietro really hated his life.  
  
Pietro stared at Professor Xavier as if he were an idiot. Was this guy serious? Of course, he didn't want to join the X-Men. He wouldn't fit in there anymore than Scott Summers would fit in with the Brotherhood. It was the only way to stop his father though.  
  
"Look, let's get something straight. I'm not here to become part of your crusade. I'm here because I think that it's pretty much the only way I'm going to be able to beat my fa.Magneto. And I think that's pretty much the reason Wanda's here." Pietro told the professor. He turned to Wanda. "Am I right?"  
  
Wanda nodded quietly before turning to look at Xavier. "I stayed in that asylum for years. And he's the one who put me there. My father will pay for what he's done to me."  
  
Professor Xavier nodded. "I wish that the two of you were joining us for different reasons but I am glad that you are, whatever your reasons. Most of the students are outside today, but why don't I show you around right now, anyway?"  
  
Pietro and Wanda exchanged a glance before nodding again. Pietro, somehow, had thus far managed to control himself from speeding out of the room and doing major damage to the Institute.something he would've taken great pleasure in only a couple of days ago. Now, though, he had to restrain himself.and it was killing him. Of course, just because he lived there didn't mean he couldn't cause trouble.  
  
"And this is where the students play baseball." Professor Xavier told Pietro and Wanda as they stopped next to the bleachers. Pietro stood slightly in the shadows, for once just wanting to observe. Wanda looked at him, a little concerned. She had been doing that more and more once they had re-established their relationship, but she knew it might take a little more time for her to get completely over all the anger that she had built towards him over the years. She had noticed that ever since the incident with Magneto that Pietro had been more withdrawn than usual. It was.unnatural.  
  
Wanda looked back at the field, noticing that Pietro was staring intensely at the X-Men and the game they were playing. As she continued to stare at him, she thought she caught a wistful note in his eyes as he listened to their laughter. They hadn't had much reason to laugh recently. Wanda followed Pietro's lead and turned back to the game.  
  
"Agh! Professor! Jean's using her powers!" Bobby Drake, or Iceman as he was also known, yelled as Jean Grey let the ball float in front of her at the pitcher's mound. Scott "Cyclops" Summers, whose eyes weren't visible from behind his ruby quartz sunglasses, smiled from the catcher position. Professor Xavier shook his head as Jean smirked, grabbed the ball from the air, and threw it. Bobby grinned and turned the bat to ice as he hit the ball as hard as he could. As, he ran to first base, a shout was suddenly heard.  
  
"MUTANT BALL!!!"  
  
Kurt "Nightcrawler" Wagner bamfed into the air and caught the ball while it was in mid-flight. Scott lifted up his sunglasses to blast a hole where first base should be to stop Roberto. When the teams switched positions (though Scott had stayed catcher), Jean stopped the pitch Amara had thrown in the right spot and hit it as hard as she could. Kitty "Shadowcat" Pryde, stopped on her way to home plate from third as Kurt stepped in front of the plate, ball in hand. Quickly, she phased into the ground and then phased back up, behind him, holding home plate. Amara set the ball on fire when Ray was up to bat, causing the ball to make a hole through the bat and the chain link batting cage behind him.  
  
It seemed like the game was just calming down when a familiar voice with a Southern accent could be heard yelling, "Porcupine, when I get through with you they're gonna be calling you spikeless!"  
  
Pietro watched, slightly interested as Evan "Spyke" Daniels ran by, Rogue not far behind him. Kitty ran off the field and stopped by the bleachers to get a better look and Kurt bamfed next to her, causing her to cough a little from the sulfur smelling smoke.  
  
"Twenty bucks says that Evan gets away." Kurt said to Kitty. Kitty rolled her eyes at Kurt and shook her head.  
  
"No way, Rogue's totally going to like catch him. She is so mad." Kitty replied. Everyone was now watching as Evan ran from Rogue with avid interest. Kitty and Kurt took a step forward as Rogue and Evan disappeared over the hill. A few seconds later an unidentified high-pitched scream was heard. Kurt smiled as two spikes embedded themselves in the ground in front of his feet. He turned to Kitty.  
  
"Pay-" He turned back to look where Kitty was pointing at Rogue walking back up the hill, a satisfied smile on her face. He sighed and turned to Kitty again, an unhappy expression on his face. "-ment will be made soon." Kitty grinned, the expression just as satisfied as Rogue's.  
  
"That was, like, the easiest twenty bucks I've ever made."  
  
"WHAT?" Evan exclaimed.  
  
"I said that Pietro and Wanda will be moving into the Institute. And they will be joining the X-Men as well." the professor replied calmly. Pietro smirked at Evan, a glimpse of his usual cockiness reappearing. Wanda simply glared at him. When she moved her gaze she noticed the only other Goth girl in the room, Rogue, giving Evan a dirty look. Wanda's lips twitched into a reluctant smile as she realized that this girl might be the only one she'd get close to. Rogue glanced at Wanda, then Evan, and then back at Wanda and raised her eyebrows as if to say that he was an idiot.  
  
Pietro let his gaze roam over all the X-Men in the room, trying to gauge their reactions. The most prominent ones seemed to be disbelief, a little horrified, and in a couple of cases, complete anger. His eyes stopped on Rogue, who seemed to be more amused with it than everything. She apparently didn't mind it all that much, he thought as Rogue nodded at him. He at least had one friend in the building.Pietro shook himself. Not that it mattered. He didn't need a friend. He didn't need anyone. 


	2. Confrontation and a little payback

Disclaimer: Again.I own nothing. Nothing, I tell you! So sad.  
  
A/N: Wow, thanks for the reviews, everyone! And since I'm so happy because I got some reviews, I'm going to respond to them, as well as I can.  
  
Lunacat: Look at that, I updated! So, no more darning me.until the next time that is. =) But you have to update too!  
  
SkyDancerHawk: Thanks for the review and no, I didn't know that I had it set for signed reviews only. I've already changed thanks to you. Thanks!  
  
Chibi Makoto: Yes.Evan has ticked off Rogue. Again. But, yes, they will be training, I just haven't decided if it should be with new recruits or not. They'll also be given uniforms, but I don't know if they'll wear those or keep what they have now. Everyone, let me know what you think!  
  
Kosumi: I completely agree with your first sentiment-where have they all gone? We need more! And I hope I can live up to your second sentiment. I'll certainly try.  
  
Masterplan: Glad that you think it's perfect so far! Here's hoping it continues.  
  
Spork or Foon: All I have to say is.woohoo! Another Rietro fan!  
  
And now.onto the story!  
  
Pietro stared at his former housemates and shook his head at them.  
  
"What do you care?" he shot at them, talking with rapid speed. "Especially you Lance. Shouldn't you be happy to leader again?"  
  
Lance Alvers narrowed his eyes at the silver-haired teen. Something was up. Pietro-or Wanda-wouldn't join the X-Men unless they felt they had to. And even then, it'd be pretty hard to get either one to do it. The Maximoff twins just seemed to enjoy defying authority. Which meant that they had joined willingly. Why?  
  
Not that he cared. Much.  
  
Todd Tolansky stared right back at Pietro, betrayal evident in his eyes for the second time since they had met. He shook his head.  
  
"I thought you were part of the Brotherhood, yo." Todd said.  
  
"Yeah, well, I'm not anymore, okay? Big deal." Pietro replied. None of them were reacting the way he had expected. He'd expected anger, which wouldn't have been anything new. He'd made them angry before. He'd expected Fred, who hadn't even spoken yet, to threaten to smash him to pieces for leaving again. He'd expected Lance to do what he had done when Lance had lived with the X-Men, and throw a couple of insults his way or something.  
  
He hadn't expected them to be hurt. Not after the last time.  
  
"I thought we were a family again." Fred said, quietly speaking for the first time.  
  
Something that could have been a mixture of shock, sadness, and even a little bit of regret, flashed through Pietro's eyes too fast for any of them to be able to identify it really well before he gave them a cocky smile.  
  
"Families betray each other all the time, Blob. Trust me on that one." Pietro told him, a brittle and bitter edge to his voice as he turned and disappeared down the hall.  
  
Boring, boring, boring.  
  
Did nothing ever change at Bayville High? The same things happened, the same people sat together.  
  
There was Summers with the blue elf and a couple of the other X-Geeks-er, X- Men-and there was Jean with Duncan and his idiot friends, and there was Wanda with Rogue...wait, Wanda and Rogue? Since when did they start hanging out? Pietro zipped over, his mood considerably better than it had been earlier after he had caused Evan to 'accidentally' trip in front of a big group of pretty girls.  
  
"Mind if I join you? Of course you don't, who would? What are you guys talking about? It's not something really morbid, like death is it? Because, if it is, change the subject right now." he told them, sitting down.  
  
"Please, sit down. Make yourself comfortable." Rogue offered sarcastically. Pietro grinned.  
  
"You know you missed me, Roguey."  
  
"Don't call me that."  
  
Wanda chose that moment to interrupt. She turned to Pietro, one eyebrow raised.  
  
"And just what makes you think that the conversation was morbid, my dear brother?"  
  
"Well, because, Roguey here reads all those vampire books and you always threaten to do me bodily harm, so I think that there may be a slight fascination with death or pain or something."  
  
"Thank you, Dr. Maximoff for that riveting diagnosis." Rogue muttered. Then she sighed, giving into the look that Pietro was giving her. "And actually, we were talking about how we could get back at Jean."  
  
"Why? What'd Miss Perfect do to piss you off? I thought you were going after Daniels."  
  
"We were." Wanda replied. "Until Jean found out and told the professor, who put a stop to it, right away."  
  
"Wait a minute, just wait one minute. We've only been living at the Institute for a couple of days and you've already gotten in trouble?" Pietro demanded with a frown. Rogue stared at him, wondering why he sounded so.well, upset about it. He'd gotten in trouble with the professor before they had moved in, why should he care if Wanda did now that they lived with him? If anything, that should have him planning on how to cause more trouble.  
  
"So?" Wanda replied, her tone summing up what Rogue had been thinking.  
  
"That means you were faster than me at something and that shouldn't even be possible!"  
  
Rogue sighed at Pietro's dramatic explanation. She should've known. "If it makes you feel any better, Speedy, you were the first one to annoy Logan this morning. Usually that's either Kurt or Bobby who manages that."  
  
Pietro brightened. "Really?" he asked. Rogue nodded. Pietro grinned, the ever-present gleam of mischief visible in his eyes once again. He rubbed his hands together, a gesture that neither of the girls had ever seen him use. "Now, let's figure out what to do about Jean." Off their looks, he shrugged. "Hey, I'm not about to let you two have all the fun."  
  
The next morning, a shrill scream was heard from upstairs. Everyone rushed towards the sound as Rogue, Pietro, and Wanda all exchanged knowing glances as they followed the others.  
  
"Jean?" the professor called, knocking on the door once he had gotten there. "Jean, open the door."  
  
"No! No, I can't!" she cried from the other side of the door. The others all looked at each other trying to come up with a way to get her out of the bathroom.  
  
"I'll do it." Kitty volunteered, casting a worried glance to the door. The professor hesitated, unsure for a moment, before nodding at Kitty. She phased her arm through the door (no one really knew why she didn't just go all the way through, but they didn't say anything) and unlocked the door. She pulled her arm out and pushed the door open. Everyone stared at Jean in shock.  
  
Jean's hair was blue.  
  
Bobby and Ray snorted with laughter, though to give them credit they did try to stop it from escaping. Kurt could do nothing but stare at Jean for a full minute before he made the mistake of trying to make her feel better by joking and saying,  
  
"Wow, Jean, now you match me."  
  
Rogue leaned over to Pietro and whispered,  
  
"Are you sure the stuff we used will come out?"  
  
Pietro nodded. The chemical they had used would be harmless to her hair and, as a bonus, was clear so that she wouldn't notice any change in her shampoo. "Yes, I'm sure it'll come out." He grinned. "Eventually."  
  
A/N: Sorry for the crappiness (I think) of this chapter. My only excuse is that I wrote it during a 45 minute class period. Also, I don't completely hate Jean, I just think she needs more.character. Too.one- dimensional. Two, at the most. She also just seemed to be the most likely to fit (besides Scott) what happened in this chapter. As for Evan, I know, I'm picking on him but I just can't help myself. Something about him just annoys me and I'm taking out my frustration on him. For now. I may stop. I also couldn't think of an actual chemical that was harmless to a person's hair and clear, so I'll just let you use your imaginations. Well, folks, hope you enjoyed it. 


	3. Scott Problems

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own any of them. I want to own at least some of them, but alas, no I don't. They all belong to WB and all of them. Darn it.  
  
A/N: Well, here it is, chapter 3. And oh Lord, I got so many reviews, that I can't respond to them all! Which makes me very, extremely happy! But I will reply to some of them. Which, I just realized, may be all of the ones I've gotten so far, so. By the way, once you read this chapter, let me just say that Scott will get better. Slowly.  
  
Lunacat: You updated!! YAY!! And in response to that, here is another update. LOL.  
  
Lladyred01: So far, pranks. But I always thought that Rogue and Wanda would be a good friendship to see, so I know I'm going to do that much. And as you'll see in this chapter, some Scott confrontations. Gotta have those.  
  
LadyTrunks: Who am I to disobey an order? Here's the update! LOL. I think that Rogue, Wanda, and Pietro are going to be a little scary together. Jean and Evan are the main targets. So far.  
  
Kosumi: Thank you for the assurance that it wasn't crappy! I was very worried that it really was.  
  
ChibiMakoto: We will be seeing more of the Brotherhood, for at least one reason that I can think of. Hmmm. I like your idea about the training (and the uniforms, though I don't know how to make them more X-Men-ish.) I just may use it. Them, I mean. Gah!! My brain isn't functioning enough for this!  
  
Spork or Foon: Yupers. It's coming along. Slowly but surely. I'm pretty much making this up as I go along. Who knows what'll happen? So, everyone forgive the random plot. It's because I have no idea what I'm going to do with this.  
  
mss4maverick: Well, I won't be killing them but I will torture them throughout the story via pranks. Or at least, that's the most likely option.  
  
SkyDancerHawk: Don't worry, I won't be making the Brotherhood boys too angsty. I promise.  
  
Crysala: Here's the longer chapter you asked for! Hope you and everyone else enjoys it!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
One week later, Jean's hair was still blue.  
  
"I thought you said that it would come out." Rogue whispered to Pietro as they watched Jean walk up the stairs. Pietro smirked.  
  
"It will. She just has to shower a few more times." he whispered back. Pietro found that it was very satisfying to watch Jean walk around wearing an image inducer for just her hair. No one had come forward to take credit for the prank (especially the three who had done it) and the professor had decided against looking into the students' minds. Not only would that be a considerable breach of privacy, but it could be a downright scary experience. There were just some things that Xavier didn't want to know his students thought about. Besides, the blue color was eventually fading.  
  
"Let's just hope we never get caught. I really don't want to think about what kind of punishment we'd get from Logan." Rogue replied, wrinkling her nose at the mere thought. Pietro grinned and put an arm around Rogue.  
  
"Don't worry, Roguey. I'll protect you."  
  
Rogue pointedly glance at the arm Pietro had around her, which he just as pointedly left around her shoulders. She rolled her eyes at him. "Right, Pietro, so you're going to save me?"  
  
"Have no fear, Quicksilver is here!" Pietro proclaimed brightly.  
  
"You're insane."  
  
"You say that like it's a bad thing." Pietro looked truly perplexed before brushing it off. "Well, gotta go. I've got places to be, people to annoy." Grinning one more time, he tugged at one of her white bangs. "See ya later, Stripes." Pietro ran off, leaving Rogue shaking her head with a smile on her face.  
  
Neither one of them noticed Scott standing in the shadows, a scowl on his face.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Rogue."  
  
Rogue turned at the sound of her name to see Scott scowling at her.  
  
"Scott." she replied, keeping her voice neutral. "Was there something you needed?"  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded. Rogue crossed her arms over her chest.  
  
"And what's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"You and Pietro. Pietro Maximoff." Scott said, repeating Pietro's name for emphasis.  
  
"Yeah Scott, I'm aware of what his last name is." she replied. "What's your point?"  
  
"I don't like you guys hanging out so much. He was a part of the Brotherhood, Rogue." Rogue's eyes narrowed.  
  
"And so was I!" she burst out. "So what?"  
  
"He's Magneto's son."  
  
"He can't be blamed for his father is, and neither can Wanda. That's such a double standard, Scott!"  
  
Scott looked at Rogue, truly confused. "What do you mean?" he asked. Rogue sighed.  
  
"Do you blame me and Kurt for who our mother is?" Scott opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before speaking.  
  
"No! Of course not!" he replied, shocked.  
  
"My point exactly. So don't blame either of them for having Magneto as a father."  
  
"Are and Pietro dating?" Scott demanded suddenly, completely deserting the former topic of Magneto. Rogue's anger flared back up.  
  
"That's none of your business, now is it, Scott?" Rogue replied coolly. Scott gaped at Rogue, before he shut his mouth.  
  
"I'd still like to know." he told her in a calm voice.  
  
Big mistake.  
  
Rogue exploded. "What do you care, Scott? Why do you even give a damn?" she burst out. Before he could respond, Rogue held up her hands. "No, you know what? I don't want to hear it. Just butt out Scott." She turned to go before pausing and glancing over her shoulder. "And for your information, we're just friends. But don't worry, I'll make sure to ask your permission before taking it any further." All traces of her good mood gone, Rogue turned back around and stormed upstairs.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
In her own room, Wanda's eyes flew open when she heard a door slam. Getting up from her cross-legged position on the floor, she walked to her own door and opened it, prepared to glare at someone if they were in the hall.  
  
No one was there.  
  
Shrugging, she was about to go back to meditating in her room when she noticed that Rogue's door, which she had been leaving open recently, was closed.  
  
Wanda hesitated. Had it been anyone else but Rogue she'd go straight back to her room. But in the past week, Rogue had become a good friend. A real friend.  
  
Wanda had never had a real friend before.  
  
Her decision made, Wanda walked up to Rogue's door and opened it without knocking.  
  
Rogue sat on her bed, leaning back against the wall with her knees pulled up so that she could lay her sketchbook on top of them. Her hands flew over the paper furiously as she sketched, muttering about uptight a- holes who couldn't mind their own business. Wanda smirked.  
  
"What did Scott do this time?" she asked. She had quickly learned that while Scott wasn't such a bad guy (most of the time), uptight was a word that was often used to describe him.  
  
Rogue brushed a stray strand of white hair out of her face, frustrated. She shook her head.  
  
"He was being an ass." Rogue sighed. Wanda rolled her eyes and, shutting the door behind her, walked over to sit next to Rogue on the bed.  
  
"Care to elaborate on that?" Wanda prompted.  
  
"He was demanding to know whether or not Pietro and I are dating." Rogue said. Wanda snorted.  
  
"Why should he care? He swoons whenever Jean gets even five feet within him."  
  
"I know. He's apparently not over the whole Brotherhood thing. When I reminded him that I used to be a part of the Brotherhood, he changed the subject to-" Rogue faltered.  
  
"To what?" Wanda asked. In her eyes was a look of trepidation, an expression never seen in Wanda's eyes. With anyone else, Wanda would've tried to hide it. But, once again, her new friendship with Rogue stopped her. Rogue shot her a look of sympathy.  
  
"Magneto." Before Wanda could get angry---Rogue wanted her furniture to stay in one piece---she rushed on. "But I set him straight about that by bringing up Mystique." Wanda relaxed, but only slightly.  
  
"I guess I should say thanks. Our families are really screwed up, aren't they?" Wanda asked quietly. Rogue nodded.  
  
"Yeah." They were both silent for a moment. "Who would've thought that we'd have so much in common?" Rogue laughed. Wanda smiled wryly and shook her head.  
  
"Definitely not me. If someone would've told me that we'd become friends a few weeks ago, I would've laughed at them." Wanda paused. "Or hexed them." she added as an afterthought.  
  
"Exactly." Rogue agreed.  
  
The two sat in silence as they both contemplated the events of the past week. Rogue sighed and stood up.  
  
"Let's get out of here. I'm sick of this place right now." she said. Wanda nodded silently and stood up. The two of them walked out, neither of them saying a word.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Pietro was whistling when he walked into the Institute. All in all, he'd had a great day.  
  
"Pietro!"  
  
Until now.  
  
Rolling his eyes, Pietro turned. "What-do-you-want-Summers?"  
  
Scott glared at him. Or at least, Pietro thought he was glaring at him. It was hard to tell, what with the sunglasses he had to wear.  
  
"I don't want you near Rogue." Scott told him. Pietro's eyebrows shot up, a smirk on his face.  
  
"Oh-is-somebody-jealous? What's-the-matter? Angry-that-you're-not- the-belle-of-the-ball-anymore?" Pietro dashed to Scott's side. "Hate-to- break-it-to-you-Summers-but-you-couldn't-ever-surpass-me. I'm-perfect."  
  
"You're nothing but trouble." Scott replied. "And I don't want you hanging out with Rogue. You'll only end up hurting her."  
  
Now Pietro's eyes narrowed, the shocking blue of them turning cold as ice. Deliberately, he slowed his speech.  
  
"Well, then, I guess it's a good thing it's not up to you whether or not Rogue and I spend time together. So stay the hell out of it, Summers." Glaring, Pietro turned and walked away. 


	4. Trying To Read

Disclaimer: I don't own it!! Darn you WB!!! *deep breath* Okay, I'm done now.  
  
A/N: Okay, for those of you who wanted to know whether or not I like Scott, yes. I do like him, I just think he needs to loosen up.a lot. As for how he's acting right now, don't worry! He'll get better, I promise! It's purely for my own purposes that he's being overprotective right now. What those purposes are, I have not decided yet.eh, maybe later.  
  
Also, just wanted to give a HUGE thank you to everyone who has been reviewing. Hope you enjoy this chapter and here's a little glimpse of a DR session. And I do mean little. I haven't decided how chaotic those are going to get, but this should give you an idea. ^_^  
  
CRASH!  
  
Bobby stared in wide-eyed shock as Pietro rammed straight into the wall, courtesy of a misplaced patch of ice. Jubilee giggled before putting a hand over her mouth to cover the sound. All around them, fire, electricity, and blue energy stopped flying as the others turned to look at them.  
  
Pietro groaned dramatically as he rolled over, milking this opportunity for everything it was worth.  
  
Suddenly the metal doors slid open and in walked Wolverine. He stared at each of them, one by one, before saying,  
  
"Okay, everyone, this session is over." He paused and glanced at Pietro who was still groaning in "pain". "Get up bub. You're fine." Pietro's eyebrows drew together and he sighed as he got up. He walked over to where the rest of the new recruits and Wanda were standing, deliberately dragging his feet, hoping to make his point. When he noticed Bobby still staring at him, Pietro grinned at him. Bobby relaxed as he realized that Pietro was fine and Wanda rolled her eyes muttering something about 'idiotic speed demons and why did he have to be her brother'. This caused Pietro's grin to grow wider as he came to a stop next to her. He leaned closer to her as they followed the others out the doors.  
  
"Just lucky, I guess." he whispered to her, before laughing and running off.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Pages flew to the side in a blur and the entire situation just reeked with the potential for chaos.  
  
Pietro was reading.  
  
The new recruits stared in awe as Pietro went through the book in seconds before frowning and throwing it onto the rapidly growing pile on the table.  
  
"Boring." he muttered. He grabbed the next book and gave it the same treatment. He looked up as the others walked further into the room. "Don't you people have anything better to read?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Sam asked.  
  
"Look at this!" Pietro exclaimed, grabbing a book and brandishing it. "Who the hell names their kid Huckleberry? Especially when their last name is Finn? Why don't you just make the kid wear a sign that says 'Hi, I'm a nerd. Feel free to beat me up to your heart's content!'"  
  
Jubilee, who was staring at Pietro like he had gone insane, opened her mouth to say something. But before she could, Pietro began talking again.  
  
"And this one!" he exclaimed, his speech speeding up so that it was harder to understand. "This one! The-Invisible-Man! Why-doesn't-he-have-a-name? How-come-the-story-had-to-be-told-by-an-invisible-guy? Without-a-name-the- only-way-to-think-of-him-is-as-the-speaker-and-then-I-just-feel-like-I'm-in- English-class!" Pietro declared, continuing to ramble.  
  
"You know, he only feels invisible because." Jubilee started, trailing off when Pietro continued to rant about the book selection. Turning to Bobby, she shrugged. "I give up."  
  
"Classic. A book which people praise and no one reads." Amara muttered, quoting Mark Twain. Pietro paused.  
  
"Exactly! Finally-someone-agrees!" This set him off on another tangent.  
  
"You had to say it." Rahne mumbled. Amara shrugged sheepishly. Before she could respond, Kurt walked in. His eyes widened as he saw all the books scattered around.  
  
"What happened in here?" he cried. Bobby shook his head quickly.  
  
"Hey man, don't look at us! It was all Pietro. Let's get out of here guys." he said, getting out of the room as fast as he could, followed by the others.  
  
"Pietro?" Kurt asked.  
  
"I was trying to find something to read." Pietro said defensively. "What's it to you?"  
  
Kurt blinked, a bit taken aback by the sharpness of Pietro's voice.  
  
"I just need a book for school." Kurt replied quietly. "You wouldn't happen to know where Catcher in the Rye is would you?"  
  
Pietro's tense muscles slowly relaxed at Kurt's quiet tone and his eyes brightened at the mention of the book. Kurt felt a slight breeze as Pietro went by him and came to a stop near a small pile of books. He gestured to the pile.  
  
"It's over here. This is the pile of books that actually held my interest." Kurt walked over, his tail swishing back and forth a little. Staring down at the pile, he made a decision-one that he had been considering for awhile now, ever since Pietro and Wanda had moved in.  
  
"It's okay, you know." Kurt said, softly. Pietro glanced at him.  
  
"What is?"  
  
"To be hurt about what happened." Pietro turned to face Kurt.  
  
"What would you know about it?" he snapped. Kurt looked up at Pietro, a wry smile on his face.  
  
"You forget who my mother is. And even though everyone else will tell you not to care about it because he's Magneto, you can. He's still your dad and it's okay to be hurt after what happened."  
  
Pietro stared at the furry young man, a little shocked. It was the first time anyone had ever told him that and Pietro had certainly never expected Kurt to be the one to make the effort. When Pietro said nothing Kurt bent over and picked up the book.  
  
"I just wanted you to know that." He began to turn and paused. "And Pietro? I never said it before but.welcome to the Institute." He began to walk away.  
  
Pietro looked down and then back up and said the one thing he never thought he'd say to an X-Man.  
  
"Thank you." Kurt paused in the doorway.  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
A/N: A short chapter I know. Hopefully the next one will be longer. This one was just something that I wanted to do really quick. It was also to start the ball rolling on the some of the rest of the X-Men starting to be nicer to Pietro and Wanda. Kurt just seemed to be the natural choice. Anyway, I've gotten some people saying that I sound like I really don't like Evan. Well, okay, I'll admit that's true. I don't really like him. But I'm not going to be mean to the guy for the whole story. As a matter of fact, I'm giving the guy a romance later on in the story. But I also want to take a little poll, so let me know what you think about the next thing. Who should Kurt be with? Tabitha or Wanda? (I read a couple with a Kurt/Wanda pairing and liked it. And before that, I thought they were hinting at it in Impact. But that's just me.) So, I'm a little torn. Anyway, let me know everyone! 


	5. Late Night Bonding

Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, don't own any of the X-Men. Evolution or otherwise. Damn it.  
  
A/N: Well, here it is. Chapter five. Hopefully, you all like it since it's a quick shift from joking to.well, sad. Anywho, onto other things like review responses and the fact that Wanda is winning by a landslide, folks! So, if you'd rather Kurt/Tabitha, then let me know. So far, I've gotten more requests for Kurt/Wanda.  
  
Kosumi: Here it is. I've gone onward! In the works is chapter six!  
  
puppiescute: I find Todd very amusing actually. He always makes me laugh. And the rivalry with Kurt.I love it!  
  
Lunacat: Yupers, Pietro is a closet bookworm. Shhh.don't tell anyone. It might ruin his reputation. LOL, I just thought that I'd give him something other than the newspaper to read. ^_^ And I'm working on a way to hopefully, believably work my way up to Kurt/Wanda.unless I get more people telling me otherwise.  
  
Crysala: Hey, I don't mind how long it takes for you to review, at least you did it right? Anyway, I hope you update soon too! (That was a direct, shameless, and unsubtle hint-or you could say order. LOL.)  
  
Sailor X1: You must be a mind reader! When you reminded me not to forget that Pietro is trying to get over the whole Magneto thing I was already writing this chapter! Also, I wanted to tell you something that I don't admit to many people. I think Evan has his moments. (Blondie, hope I didn't give you a heart attack.) But I thought you should know that it's rare that a person can get me to like Evan in a story, yet you accomplished it. I like Evan in that, so you've done the almost impossible. ^_^  
  
WhiteCoyote: I'm glad that you're liking the story and I hope you continue to! So here's the next chapter.  
  
York: I think that seeing those two on a double date would be interesting. I'm going to try to break up the serious stuff with some humor. Here's hoping that it all goes well!  
  
Chibi-Makoto: Yeah, poor Pietro.gotta watch out for that Bobby and his ice! You just never know what could happen.heehee.^_^  
  
And now.onto the chapter! Don't forget to hit the nifty little purple button that'll take you to review before you go! *puppy dog eyes* Please?  
  
"Father!"  
  
Pietro turned from Magneto, eyes widening.  
  
"Wanda." he whispered. He looked as if he were going to take a step towards her, then faltered.  
  
"Father." Wanda hissed.  
  
Though the tone was one full of rage, with that one word, Pietro felt as if he was going back in time.  
  
*He was so cold. The rain was freezing and all he had on over his normal clothes was a jacket.  
  
"Father!" Wanda wailed, stretching her arms out. "Father!"  
  
Despite this, Pietro kept his face emotionless. He stared determinedly at one spot.  
  
Wanda strained against the man holding her, screaming for her father. Pietro looked down, avoiding her gaze.  
  
"Father!" Wanda's cries were getting weaker. "Don't leave me."*  
  
Pietro glanced between his father and his sister, frozen. He'd have to choose between the two. Indecision gripped him, tying his stomach in knots.  
  
And then Pietro's decision was made for him.  
  
Wanda held out her hands, blue light gathering around them as she prepared to hex her father. Suddenly, the blue light was heading straight for Magneto.  
  
Without hesitation, he reached over and pulled Pietro I front of him.  
  
Pietro stiffened , small cry of pain escaping his lips-  
  
-and woke up gasping in his bed. Pietro sat up and took a few calming breaths, even as his thoughts raced.  
  
Though it was a warm night, Pietro gathered all the blankets and wrapped them tightly around himself as he lay back down.  
  
He was suddenly very cold.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Wanda bolted upright in her own bed, eyes darting side to side. She didn't relax too much when her surroundings registered in her mind. No one was there and yet.Wanda shook her head and laid back down.  
  
She frowned.  
  
Though she had never believed in any of that twin ESP crap, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was bothering Pietro. Determined, Wanda sat back up, threw the covers off, and swung her legs over the side of the bed.  
  
"I will find out what's wrong." she muttered as she stood up and headed towards Pietro's room. Quietly, she walked through the hallway, stopping front of Pietro's door.  
  
Before she could open it though, she hesitated. What was she doing? Pietro was a big boy, he could take care of himself.  
  
And just because they were finally starting to get along and she wasn't trying to kill him anymore didn't mean that she could just walk into his room in the middle of the night as if they were children again. Did it?  
  
Wanda straightened. If she and Pietro were ever going to establish a close relationship, then neither of them could hesitate to do stuff like this.  
  
Her decision made, Wanda pushed the door open.  
  
"Pietro?" she whispered. There was no answer. She walked into the room, closing the door behind her, and headed towards the bed. "Pietro, what's wrong?" she asked, staring down at the lump in the bed that was facing the wall. Pietro turned over to face her when she sat on the bed.  
  
"Wrong? Whatever could be wrong, Wanda?" Pietro asked, the bitterness that he had easily hidden in the past creeping back into his voice.  
  
Unexpectedly, Wanda felt a wave of sympathy wash over her. Pietro had always strived for Magneto's approval ad now he'd never get it. She remembered very well the betrayal that Pietro was feeling now. She reached over and put a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"I'm sorry." she told him. Pietro sat up and gave her a smile. A small smile, but a smile nonetheless.  
  
"Don't be. It's not your fault." The smile disappeared and his gaze shifted. "It's his."  
  
Pietro stared blankly at the wall, his thoughts moving towards Magneto.  
  
His father.  
  
A man that he head worked for, even admired at times.  
  
A man that he had given all his loyalty to.  
  
A man he had betrayed his friends for.  
  
A man that he had hated.  
  
A man that he had loved.  
  
Pietro was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of Wanda's voice.  
  
"What?" he asked. Wanda stared at him, uncertain about whether or not to repeat the question. It wasn't something she would normally ask and she had shocked herself when she had blurted it out. She took a deep breath.  
  
"Do you want to talk about it?" she repeated. Pietro shook his head.  
  
"Not really. But thanks anyway."  
  
Wanda nodded as a response and stood up, sensing that Pietro wanted to be alone. "Get some sleep, Pietro." she said softly, leaving the room.  
  
Pietro laid down and stared at the ceiling, concentrating on his breathing to try and slow his thoughts down. If he concentrated on his breathing, maybe he wouldn't be able to think.  
  
Breathe in.  
  
Was this how Wanda had felt all those years ago?  
  
Breathe out.  
  
How the hell could his father do this to him?  
  
Breathe in.  
  
And now he'd done the unthinkable. He'd joined the X-Men.  
  
Breathe out.  
  
He'd have to fight against his own father.  
  
Breathe in.  
  
Magneto.  
  
Breathe out.  
  
His father.  
  
Pietro gave in and for the first time since he and Wanda had arrived at the Institute, let the tears fall silently and freely. 


	6. Conversations

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own them. Well, unless you count the fact that they're um, "visiting" right now. *Looks over where Todd is jumping up and down frantically waving his arms and laughs nervously* Um, ignore him. He's just unhappy that he hasn't got as much time in the story as he wants. *Turns to Todd* Don't make me grab the soap frog boy! Calm down, you'll come in later!  
  
A/N: Wow, I can't believe all the reviews that I've gotten for this! Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed so far, I'm glad that you're enjoying the story. Also, sorry it took me awhile to get this chapter out. The characters were giving me some problems. *glances at a certain speed demon who's trying to hide* Yeah I'm talking about you Silver! He just didn't seem to want to write this chapter. Anyway, read, review, and enjoy! (Or try, whatever.) Oh and also, it looks like the pairing for Kurt is going to be Kurt/Wanda. She won by a landslide basically. Tabby only got a few votes. So, Wanda it is. Hmm.and as a side note, I don't remember if the Brotherhood ever found out about Mystique being Rogue's foster mother, but just pretend that they did for this story, okay? And now, on with the story!  
  
"Hey Wanda!"  
  
Wanda turned and sent a look that had often caused the Brotherhood to tremble in fear before running and hiding. Kurt merely smiled and continued walking towards her. She sighed. It seemed like that look worked on everyone else but him. Well, okay, so it didn't cause Rogue to tremble in fear either but it let her know that she wanted to be alone.  
  
Not so with Kurt. She had yet to see him in a bad mood and had learned that he didn't like to see anyone else in a bad mood.  
  
Which meant that he was always trying to cheer them up.  
  
"How are you on this fine day?" Kurt asked, gesturing to the overcast sky. When she merely raised an eyebrow at him, he studied her. He had noticed this morning that both Wanda and Pietro had been quiet. And while that wasn't too unusual for Wanda, it was for Pietro, who was usually amusing himself by plotting with Rogue and Wanda or picking a fight with Evan.  
  
Evan had even noticed it and given Pietro a strange look and when he had looked like he was going to ask what was wrong, he had gotten a glare in response causing him to turn back to his breakfast.  
  
As a result, breakfast was less lively than they had gotten used to, despite the fact that Kurt had gotten in trouble (again) for teleporting to the middle of the table to get the bacon.  
  
Even Scott, who just the other day had been muttering something about Pietro being the most annoying person on the planet, had looked concerned.  
  
When he still got no answer, his smile disappeared. "Do you want to talk about it?" he offered. Wanda shook her head.  
  
"No." she said flatly. Pietro clearly didn't want anyone to know about last night and she wasn't going to be the one who told someone else. That would be up to him. Kurt frowned, thoughtful, and then perked up a bit.  
  
"Can I walk with you then? I swear I won't talk unless you want to." Kurt was determined to be there if Wanda needed to talk and he was determined that she knew he'd be there, just like he'd let Pietro know that he could talk to him, though he had a feeling that Rogue would have more luck with him.  
  
Wanda stared at him suspiciously before apparently deciding that she had no reason to suspect him of anything. "Let's go." she told him simply before turning and walking away. Kurt grinned, satisfied that was making some progress, and followed.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~  
  
Kitty sighed as she walked down the street heading away from the Institute. Where she was going, she didn't know, she just knew that she had to get out. The depressing mood at the Institute was beginning to get to her and she knew if she didn't go for a walk her normally happy mood would be gone. She began walking faster.  
  
She heard the engine of a car approaching behind her and ignored it. She kept walking.  
  
"Kitty!"  
  
Kitty stopped and turned to see Lance leaning out of his jeep. She looked at him, confused.  
  
"Lance? What are you doing here?" she asked, the confusion in her eyes clear in her voice. Lance looked at her sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.  
  
"I, uh, I was coming to see you actually. When I saw you walking, I figured I got lucky since I kind of wanted to talk to you in private anyway." Lance told her. Kitty tilted her head to the side a bit, reminding him of the very thing she was nicknamed for.  
  
"Like about what?" At the question, Lance seemed to become a little nervous and he shifted in his seat.  
  
"About a couple of things actually." He looked up at her. "So, what do you say? Will you go with me so we can talk?" Kitty glanced at the Institute and then back at Lance as if considering.  
  
"Okay." She nodded and walked around to the passenger side of the car, getting in. She looked at Lance. "Let's go."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Pietro glared at the ground as if it were the reason for all his problems. He didn't want to talk to anyone.  
  
Pietro leaned over and dangled his arms over his knees, ducking his head. He had been in this mood all day and everyone had noticed. For once, he hadn't said a word at breakfast.  
  
So far, no one had bothered him, which was probably why, now, when Pietro most wanted to be alone with the worst mood he'd ever been in, a pair of feet came into his view. A pair of very familiar feet. He'd recognize the shoes anywhere. Mostly because nobody else that he knew, except for his sister, would ever wear shoes like that.  
  
"Go away Rogue."  
  
Rogue hesitated before continuing to walk towards him. She sat down on the bench next to him, not saying a word. He scowled at her.  
  
"I said go away." Rogue looked at him wryly.  
  
"And since when do I do what you tell me to?" she asked. His scowl deepened and he looked back at the ground. Hesitantly, she put a hand on his shoulder. He jerked away, not wanting to be touched by anyone. "Pietro, what's wrong?"  
  
"None of your business." He took in a shuddering breath and closed his eyes. "Nothing is wrong, so just.go away, okay? Just leave me alone."  
  
Rogue bit her lip. Normally, she wouldn't pry into a person's life like this, especially since she hated it when other people did it to her, but with Pietro something was telling her that until he talked about it, he'd just continue to get worse. So, instead of going away, she did the opposite.  
  
"Tell me what's wrong. You're not going to feel any better until you talk about it." She thought about the time when her powers had gone out of control and she had cut herself off from everyone for awhile, choosing to brood instead of talk. It was just the way she was, but sometimes, and this was a rare sometimes, she wished she had talked to someone about it and everything that had happened that night, including the stuff with Ris- Mystique-she corrected mentally. "Trust me. I know."  
  
Pietro whirled towards her, eyes blazing with an icy fire as he glared at her. The hold that he'd had on his mood, on his temper, since last night snapped.  
  
"What the hell do you know about it? It's never happened to you before, has it? So you can't touch anybody, big fricking deal, at least you still have people who care about you! The people that you considered to be your only family don't treat you like dirt do they? No! Have you ever been this badly betrayed by one of your parents? No! You don't know anything about it, Rogue, so just leave me the hell alone!" he shouted. During this tirade, Rogue had paled, hurt shock clouding her eyes. Then she stood, her eyes going a little cold.  
  
"You seem to forget that Kurt isn't the only one with Mystique for a mother. So I do know what it's like. And you do have people who care about you, people who want to help. But you want to be alone, Pietro? Fine. Have it your way." she said.  
  
Rogue turned and walked away, leaving Pietro alone. 


	7. Guilt, Punches, and Plans Oh My!

Disclaimer: None of it is mine. Unfortunately, those sadists at WB own them (what are they thinking, considering making this the last season?). I'm going to shut up before I get my little butt sued.  
  
A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews guys! I'm sorry it took me so long to update. I know, I know, I wasn't originally going to take this long, but I got sick and then I went home for fall break. So, I didn't get to update.  
  
LadyTrunks, I'm VERY sorry that I didn't tell you about my story Our Secret (those of you who aren't old enough to read NC-17 shouldn't read it! Not that I can stop you.). As an apology to you, I'm going to upload chapter eight shortly after I upload this chapter. And I'm already working on an idea for the next chapter of Our Secret! So, (*drumroll please*) without further ado...onto the story!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
So this was what guilt felt like, Pietro thought. This nagging feeling that ate away at his insides. He stared at the spot where only an hour ago, Rogue had sat before he had gone off on her. The worst part was, he wasn't even sure why he had gone off on her. Something inside him had just snapped and he'd taken it out on the closest person to him.  
  
Unfortunately, that person had been Rogue.  
  
Pietro groaned and turned his head so that he could stare at the ground before dropping his head into his hands. He was a moron. That's all there was to it. He was a moron. Worse, he was a guilty moron.  
  
And something must be really wrong with him if he was insulting himself. After all, he was perfect wasn't he? Infallible. The best of the best. All the girls wanted him and all the guys wanted to be him. Pietro nodded, satisfied with each statement that went through his head. Then he thought of Rogue.  
  
He was an idiot.  
  
The one person who had actually given a damn and he'd pushed her away as fast and hard as he could. He closed his eyes and shook his head as he remembered the hurt that had filled Rogue's eyes. He sighed, the image of the look on her face before she had walked away clear in his mind. Her eyes had been a stormy mix of hurt and anger and now she was gone. She'd walked away from him. Because of what he had said.  
  
He was such an idiot.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Pietro was such an idiot.  
  
Wanda shook her head as she stared at Rogue who was currently pummeling the punching bag in front of her as if it were Pietro himself. She didn't know what had happened between the two but she knew one thing.  
  
Whatever Pietro had done, he had seriously screwed up.  
  
"Stupid silver haired fashion addicted ass." Rogue muttered. She punched the bag again and felt satisfaction run through her when it swayed from the force of the impact.  
  
"With his stupid hair gel. That he puts in his stupid hair." she added, just for good measure.  
  
Wanda refrained from mentioning that yes, hair is where one normally put hair gel. She had decided on the silent support method. It seemed to be the safest way to avoid bruising with Rogue in this kind of mood.  
  
Punch.  
  
"Jerk." Rogue scowled as she remembered how Pietro had glared at her.  
  
Jab.  
  
He had the nerve to tell her that she couldn't understand what he was going through. That she wouldn't be able to understand what he was going through.  
  
Roundhouse.  
  
Did he even remember who her mother was? How could she not understand?  
  
Front kick.  
  
The self-absorbed fast-talking...jerk, she finished for lack of a better word.  
  
Side kick.  
  
He wanted to be alone? Fine. She wouldn't talk to him, as a matter of fact, she'd avoid him as much as possible. Rogue knew that may sound childish and certainly unlike something that she would do (normally she'd probably confront him so that they could get back to normal) but for some reason she just couldn't. He'd hurt her and it wasn't something that she was used to coming from him. She gave the punching a murderous glare, spun around in a circle and delivered another roundhouse kick as hard as she could.  
  
Jerk.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Scott stared down at Pietro from an upstairs window and shook his head. As much as he didn't like Pietro, it just wasn't natural to see him this down. It may have been annoying the way he talked about whatever he wanted whether or not you wanted to hear it, but it was better then Pietro being completely silent and staring into space. He had a feeling that even Evan was a little concerned. Not that he'd ever admit it to anyone, especially Pietro.  
  
Sighing, Scott turned away from the window and began walking quickly downstairs where, hopefully, he'd be able to find some of the others.  
  
He really hoped that he wouldn't regret this.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Bye, Lance!" Kitty called as Lance drove away. One hand came out of the driver's side window in a quick wave. She smiled and headed back towards the Institute.  
  
She'd promised him that she wouldn't tell anyone that he had come to her to check on Pietro and Wanda and to find out how they were doing. And if this last conversation had been anything to go by, she had a feeling that she'd get to talk to Lance more often as a result. Lance still considered Pietro and Wanda his friends, despite the fact that they had left the Brotherhood and she knew that he wouldn't want any of the other X-Men or any of the Brotherhood finding out about his concern.  
  
Kitty looked up as she walked in the front door and saw Scott talking to Bobby, Jubilee, Amara, Sam, Jamie, Rahne, and Roberto. She gave them a confused look but smiled.  
  
"Like, hi guys. What are you doing?" she asked. Scott glanced at her and motioned for her to come over.  
  
"Come here. We're going to need all the help we can get." he said. He looked over as Evan walked down the stairs. "You too. Come over here." Evan glanced at Kitty, silently asking what was going on and she shrugged. As Scott began to explain what they wanted to do, Evan began to look a littly wary though he didn't back out. Kitty looked over at him as Scott finished and Evan nodded before turning back to Scott.  
  
"What do you need us to do?" he asked.  
  
A/N: Wow, sorry that this chapter was so extremely short but I decided to put what's going to come next into a separate chapter. Especially since I'm still working out the last few kinks on how I want this to go. Hopefully, I can get this to go how I want. If not, then the next chapter may be slightly crappy. So, off to work on chapter eight I go so that I can post it right after I post this! 


	8. Attempting to Cheer Up the Speed Demon

Disclaimer: Not mine. Yet. I'm planning a takeover and then just wait! (Er...maybe not...)  
  
A/N: As promised, here is chapter eight, shortly after chapter seven. Now, I warn you, I planned this while taking notes during my sociology class so it may turn out even worse than I thought. Or better. We'll soon see won't we? Now, onto the story! Don't forget to click on that nifty little button down at the bottom there and review before you leave!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I'm doing this for Rogue, I'm doing this for Rogue, I'm doing this for Rogue..."  
  
Evan glanced up the next day and saw Pietro staring up at the sky and he could almost hear the sarcastic remarks come flying from the young man's mouth. He resumed his mantra.  
  
"I'm doing this for Rogue, I'm doing this for Rogue, I'm doing this for Rogue...." He sighed and made his way to where a very depressed looking Pietro sat.  
  
"Hey Maximoff!" he called. Pietro didn't even spare him a glance. "Maximoff! Hello? Anyone in there or is your brain on a permanent vacation?" Evan waited, sure that the remark would get some kind of response. When none came, he frowned. This was worse than they had all thought. This was bad. "Hey, come on Quicksilver! I bet you can't even beat me at one game of basketball!" Evan threw the ball in Pietro's direction and watched with some satisfaction when Pietro caught it. Finally, a reaction.  
  
"Get lost Daniels." Pietro replied, throwing the ball back at him without even glancing his way.  
  
The satisfaction disappeared and Evan frowned. Pietro had basically just turned down a challenge. And a challenge to beat him at something.  
  
Okay, so this was really bad.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Scott looked up as Evan walked back in and shook his head. Scott sighed. Evan had been their biggest way to try and get Pietro out of this depression or whatever it was. After all, Pietro never missed his chance to insult Evan. He looked at the new recruits who nodded and began walking outside.  
  
If they couldn't even get Pietro to roll his eyes and call them dorks then something serious was going to have to be done.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Woohoo!" Bobby yelled as he created an ice slide to go from one side of the yard to the other. He jumped off and turned to look at the other recruits. "I win! Yeah!" Rahne growled at him, sounding remarkably like she did when she was in wolf form and Bobby grinned a little nervously.  
  
Roberto ran over to pick up a ball and drew strength from the sun. Suddenly he threw the ball and Rahne ran after it, transforming as she went. She was followed shortly by Sam, who thought it might be fun to jump in the air and use his powers to catch the ball.  
  
He crashed into the wall for all of his efforts.  
  
"Aw, man." he complained as Rahne picked up the ball in her mouth and ran back to Roberto.  
  
"And Rahne wins!" Jubilee exclaimed, her eyes darting towards Pietro to see if he was even paying attention. Quickly, she created some fireworks, hoping that the noise would get him to look up, even if it was to say that they were annoying him. Her shoulders slumped a bit when they barely got any reaction from him at all. They were doing whatever they could and so far, none of it was working.  
  
"Amara!" Bobby shouted. "Knock it off!"  
  
Amara laughed. Bobby was busy making ice sculptures while Amara was close behind him, melting them down to puddles of water. And it was beginning to annoy him.  
  
"Come on Roberto! Please? Just throw the ball to me once!" Jamie said.  
  
"No. You wouldn't be able to handle it." Roberto replied, looking down at Jamie. Jamie rolled his eyes.  
  
"Did I say use super strength or anything like that? Nooo. I said throw the ball to me! Please? Come on!" Jamie looked up at him, hopefully, and then grinned. "I'll just bug you until you do." Roberto sighed.  
  
"Fine. Start running." he told him, giving in. Jamie made a victorious fist and punched it into the air.  
  
"Yes!" he exclaimed as he broke into a run. He turned around and stopped as Roberto threw the baseball to him. Looking up, Jamie took a step back so that he'd be able to catch the ball...just as Rahne ran behind him. "Oof!" he grunted as he fell to the ground, causing six other Jamies to appear as Rahne transformed back into her human self. Then he looked up happily and held up the ball. "I caught it!"  
  
Roberto shook his head.  
  
"Amara, I swear if you don't stop it right now I'm going to..." Bobby threatened as his hands began to ice up. She smiled smugly and stuck her tongue out at him. In response, Bobby shot ice at her. She shrieked and ducked. Satisfied, Bobby turned around and created another ice sculpture.  
  
Five seconds later, it was nothing more than a puddle.  
  
"AMARA!"  
  
Pietro stood up and walked inside, passing Scott, Kitty, and Evan as he headed upstairs to his room. Outside the new recruits all looked at each other.  
  
"So...does that mean that we did it?" Sam asked. They all exchanged glances again and shrugged before continuing what they had started.  
  
"AGH! NOT MY SELF-PORTRAIT! AMARA, YOU'RE DEAD!!!"  
  
Rahne sighed and glanced over at Sam. "He's been hanging around Pietro way too much."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Scott sighed and looked at Kitty. "I guess that means we're up next." She nodded and looked up in the direction Pietro had gone in, her gaze more than a little skeptical.  
  
"Okay. Let's like do it." she said. She and Scott walked up the stairs and then came to a stop outside of Pietro's room. Kitty knocked and when there was no answer, she tried turning the knob, only to find it locked. She and Scott exchanged one last look before she took a deep breath, took hold of his arm, and phased them into the room.  
  
Once they were through, they were met by the sight of Pietro pacing back and forth, obviously agitated. He turned to glare at them.  
  
"Don't you people understand the meaning of a locked door?" he demanded. "Let me give you a hint: it means that the person, mainly me, wants to be left alone!"  
  
"We just wanted to see if you like wanted to talk about it." Kitty said. Pietro sighed and shook his head.  
  
"No, I really don't." Scott opened his mouth to say something and Pietro cut him off. "Don't say anything, Summers. I know what all of you guys are trying to do, sending Daniels out there first and then all the others out there to do mess around. As you can see I'm fine. Thanks for the effort and all that. So, could you please just leave?" Pietro turned away from them, resuming his pacing as his mind began to race. Why was he being so much nicer to them than he had been to Rogue? Wait, he'd covered that earlier. The whole guilty moron theory. Right.  
  
As they watched Pietro continue to pace, it was obvious that he wasn't going to say anything else to them or listen to what they had to say. Scott motioned to the door and Kitty nodded, phasing them through once again so that Pietro could keep his door locked.  
  
Kitty looked at Scott as they walked back downstairs. "Well that was a total bust." she sighed. Scott nodded, frowning a bit. He didn't like to see anyone on the team like this and Pietro was no exception. At that thought, Scott stopped. Did he really think of Pietro and Wanda as part of the team? Even after everything he had said to Rogue about Pietro? He glanced back at the stairs and thought of how everyone, Evan included, had barely hesitated to try and help get Pietro back to himself.  
  
Well, it looked like he had two more teammates...whether they knew it or not. Scott sighed as he thought of something he never thought he would think.  
  
Now all he had to do was get Rogue and Pietro talking to each other again. 


	9. Forgiveness and Ice Cream

Disclaimer: It's not mine! I admit it, okay? It's not mine! *grumbles* Not legally, anyway. *looks at where Todd has joined forces with Kurt of all people* HEY! QUIT THAT! DID I SAY YOU COULD LEAVE?! Frog boy, you're getting the soap! And you, you furry blue elf! (That I just love...heehee) No more burgers for you!  
  
A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews everyone! They really inspire me (especially my bad ass cheerleader Jade Starr, LOL....and LadyTrunks, of course, with all the intimidating looks). So, here's chapter nine everyone. Hope you enjoy and to help me get chapter ten out faster, don't forget to review! (That's my obviously not so subtle way of telling you to review.) And onto the story!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A few weeks later, Pietro stared in disatisfaction at the growing pile of paper balls in his trash can. Sighing, he shook his head and threw the most recent one, feeling only a twinge of satisfaction when it went in.  
  
Rogue still wasn't talking to him. And though in the past few weeks he'd become better friends with Kurt and Kitty, he missed Rogue. Heck, he even talked more to Summers than he did to Rogue and he barely spoke to him at all. She only spoke to him when it was really necessary and he didn't really count that as talking (considering that those times mostly consisted of things like "Pass the salt." or some other mundane thing. He had a feeling that soon she'd be spouting nonsense like "Fine weather we're having today.").  
  
He frowned as he began drawing again. His hands flew over the paper as he sketched the image that he wanted. He was working from memory after all, so if he wanted to get this right, he had to concentrate. Pietro paused and held the paper up, studying his work. Then he grinned.  
  
"Perfect!" he declared, stretching the word out, much like he had when he had "clothed" Kurt at the Style Pile. He gave the paper one last glance.  
  
Yeah, this would work just fine.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The only sound in the room was the sound of fists connecting with the punching bag. Pietro stared at the bag, all his attention focused on one spot as he threw more punches.  
  
Scott walked throught the doors and paused, watching as Pietro proceeded to punch the bag as if it were the cause of all his troubles. He looked like he was having entirely too much fun punching it. He walked further into the room and stared at the paper that Pietro had taped to the bag.  
  
On it was a stick figure with brown hair that was sticking out every which way and huge red goggles. Scott raised an eyebrow and looked back to Pietro.  
  
"You didn't get it." he said simply. Pietro scowled at the stick figure version of Scott.  
  
"What are you talking about Summers? I drew it and therefore it is perfect. The best." Scott raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Keep telling yourself that, Quicksilver." he said. At Pietro's glare, he smiled and then added, "I just thought you'd be interested in knowing that Rogue's upstairs in her room. Alone." Pietro frowned.  
  
"So?" he asked, though Scott had noticed him pause.  
  
"You have been trying to talk to her for the past couple of weeks. Usually alone. And she practically never is anymore."  
  
Pietro scowled. He was right. Rogue had almost always been with someone, usually Wanda, Kitty, or Kurt. And when she was alone, she simply ignored him. Not an easy job, but she seemed to have mastered it.  
  
Wait a minute. Summers was right about something?  
  
Hell had to of just frozen over.  
  
"So? Are you going to go talk to her?" Scott asked, interrupting his thoughts. Pietro looked a bit startled as he jerked.  
  
"No, I'm not." he replied. And he wasn't. No, he wasn't. He had his pride, didn't he? If he had anything left, it was his pride. And he didn't want to give that up.  
  
"Suit yourself." Scott sighed, turning and walking out the door. He gave Pietro a few minutes before he'd be upstairs.  
  
Pietro shook his head. He wasn't going up there. Sure, Rogue was probably the only real friend that he'd ever had besides the Brotherhood, but that didn't mean he had to go crawling to her, did it? And okay, so he was sort of becoming friends with Kurt. That wasn't the point either.  
  
He wasn't going up there.  
  
The image of Rogue's face when he had exploded at her entered his mind and he grimaced, punching the image of Scott a little harder.  
  
He wasn't.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
*Earlier that day*  
  
"Hey Rogue." Scott said casually, as he paused in the doorway to her room. Rogue turned away from whatever it was she was writing and looked at Scott.  
  
"What is it, Scott?" she asked, her voice sounding tired for the first time in awhile. Scott frowned a bit and walked further into the room, stopping to lean against her desk so that he could get a closer look at her. He leaned down a bit.  
  
"You look tired."  
  
"Yeah, well, you can thank Logan's wonderful Danger Room sessions for that." she told him. Scott shifted, a little uncomfortable, especially about this.  
  
"Listen Rogue..." he started. She looked expectantly at him as he trailed off, seeming to stop. "About Pietro..."  
  
Instantly, Rogue's face closed off. Her expression lost all emotion. "I don't have anything to say about that. We're not on speaking terms and it's by Pietro's choice. That's all you need to know." she said, her voice completely neutral.  
  
"That's just it, Rogue. I've seen Pietro trying to talk to you these past few weeks. And you've just ignored him or been too busy to talk to him. Obviously he wants to talk to you and yet, you're still pushing him away. Why?"  
  
"I really don't think that's any of your business, Scott." Rogue turned her head to stare at a spot on the wall.  
  
"Rogue, I know what I said before. But I'd like to talk, if you want to." he offered.  
  
"I don't. I really don't." Rogue sighed and turned back towards Scott. "I know you just want to help and knowing how you feel about Pietro, that means a lot, Scott. Really, it does. So thank you. But I don't want to talk about it."  
  
"Alright." Scott nodded and turned to go. He stopped at the door and turned to look at Rogue. "Just one last thing." Rogue looked at him, questioningly.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I don't know what Pietro did or what he said. It must've been pretty bad if you guys stopped talking. And I can't say that I know how you feel because I don't know. But is it really worth losing one of your closest friends over? Do you really want push him away for good because of it?" With that, Scott turned and walked away.  
  
Rogue turned back to her desk, a considering look on her face.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
*After Scott's visits*  
  
"I'm not going to Rogue's room. I'm not going to Rogue's room." Pietro whispered as he walked up the stairs. "I'm just going up there to see if..." he trailed off. "If I left my...." Pietro scowled. "I'm just going to see if I left my jacket up there. Yeah. That's it. After all, I can't go out without my jacket. My outfit wouldn't be complete and then it would be less than perfect. And if my outfit is less than perfect then I can not be see wearing it." This was Pietro's logic as he walked up the stairs.  
  
He should've guessed that he was lying. Even if it was to himself.  
  
Pietro stared through the doorway of Rogue's bedroom and shifted a littly nervously. He didn't know why he was so nervous anyway. It was just Rogue, right?  
  
Which was *exactly* why he was so nervous.  
  
Because it was Rogue.  
  
Inside Rogue sighed. "What do you want Pietro?" She turned and Pietro looked at her a little shocked.  
  
"How did you know it was me?" he asked. She looked at him as if the answer were obvious.  
  
"You're the only person I know that can fidget that fast." she told him.   
  
"Oh." Pietro looked over at her and then away again. He took a step into the room and when she didn't try to throw him out he continued to go into the room. "Can we talk?"  
  
"About?"  
  
Pietro sighed. She wasn't going to make this easy for him. Typical.  
  
"About..." He sighed again. "I'm sorry. About how I treated you. I blew up at you and I shouldn't have."  
  
Rogue tilted her head and stared at him, standing there. "Then why did you?" she asked him softly. Pietro shook his head.  
  
"That's just it. I don't really know. I just...I had a crappy night and so I was already in a bad mood that morning and instead of getting better, it just seemed to get worse. And then, I don't know. You tried to get me to talk about and something snapped and I just took everything I was feeling out on you. I just...I wanted you to know that I really didn't mean what I said. About you not being able to touch...I didn't mean it when I said it wasn't a big deal."  
  
"Pietro-" Rogue started, only to be cut off.  
  
"No, really. I know how hard it is for you. Well-not-really-because-it's- your-mutation-and-not-mine-but-I-know-that-it's-hard-for-you.And-I-know-you- know-how-it-feels-to-be-betrayed-by-a-parent-because-your-mom-is-Mystique- and-after-everything-that's-happened-and-what-she's-done-to-you-of-course- you'd-feel-betrayed..." Pietro said, his voice speeding up the entire time. Rogue shook her head as his words became unintelligible, though she got the gist of it. He was still talking when she realized that she had forgiven him. It had only taken hearing what he had to say about what had happened and she'd forgiven him. While she wasn't sure how good of a thing that it was that she had forgiven him so quickly after weeks of avoiding him, she felt better because of it. Now all she had to do was get him to stop talking so she could tell him.  
  
"Pietro!" Rogue exclaimed. He stopped talking abruptly and looked at her.  
  
"What?"  
  
"It's okay." Pietro stared at her.  
  
"What?" he asked again, this time a little disbelieving. Rogue let a smiled begin to cross her face as she looked up at him.  
  
"I said it's okay. As in, apology accepted, I forgive you." She raised an eyebrow at him and he couldn't help but grin at what she had said. Rogue felt a slight breeze and suddenly he was leaning against her dresser.  
  
"Good. Now let's get some ice cream. I'm hungry." Rogue let out a short laugh.  
  
"You actually want me to go with you and willingly give you something that's just full of sugar?" she asked.  
  
"Well...yeah. You say that like it's a bad thing. Come on, Rogue, please? You sound like somebody's mother...or worse, Jean." He shuddered dramatically for effect. Rogue frowned.  
  
"That was low." she muttered, standing up. Pietro's eyes lit up and he became a blur as he dashed to her side.  
  
"So-we're-going?Really?" he asked, excitement causing his voice to speed up once again. Rogue sighed.  
  
"Yes, we're really going."  
  
Pietro sent Rogue a slightly smug look as they began to walk down the stairs. "You know, I knew you were going to forgive me sooner or later." he told her. Rogue snorted and rolled her eyes.  
  
"Sure you did, Silver."  
  
"I did." Pietro insisted.  
  
"Uh-huh." Rogue replied, beginning to walk a little faster. Pietro frowned at her.  
  
"I did!"  
  
There was no response.  
  
"I did!"  
  
Nothing.  
  
"Rogue? I did, you know!"  
  
Rogue still didn't reply, instead just smiled and continued walking.  
  
"Rogue! I did!" 


	10. Girl Talk and Manly Conversations

Disclaimer: They're not mine. They're the WB's.for now. *insert evil laughter*  
  
A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews everyone and sorry for the long time it took to get this uploaded! I had it typed but I can't upload on my computer, I have to go to a different one so I didn't upload right away. Hope you enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review! (Aren't I subtle?)  
  
Kurt was terrified. This was horrible. This could be the end of his stomach. This could be the end of the world.  
  
Kitty was cooking.  
  
He exchanged a look with Evan who looked equally terrified. Neither one of them knew how they had gotten roped into this situation. But this was not good.  
  
Now Kurt frowned. Oh yeah. They'd gotten into this because Kitty had cornered them in the kitchen when they had been in there innocently fixing themselves lunch.  
  
Stupid stomach. It was what had gotten him in this in the first place.  
  
"Uh...Kitty? I think I hear Logan calling me. I should go." Kurt said, praying that his expression wouldn't give away the fact that he was lying. Evan turned and looked at Kitty, nodding quickly.  
  
"Yeah. Me too." he added. Kitty frowned and cocked her head listening. Then she rolled her eyes.  
  
"Guys, Logan's not even like here. He like went for a ride on his motorcycle." she told them. Evan barely managed to keep from groaning and when he looked at Kurt he could see the same expression in his eyes.  
  
Stupid Logan. Wasn't even here to call them in the Danger Room when they needed him to.   
  
Kitty smiled at them and held out the dreaded plate of cookies. "Now, I like want you to try these and like tell me what you think."  
  
Kurt and Evan looked at each other one last time, resignation clear (to each other) in their eyes. Their fate was sealed.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A few hours later, Kitty walked into the kitchen for dinner and looked around, noticing that there were still three empty seats. She walked over and sat down by Jean.  
  
"Hey, so like where are Evan and Kurt?" she asked.  
  
"They are both sick in bed. It seems that they both have come down with something. Would you happen to know how they could've gotten sick?" Ororo asked her. Kitty shrugged.  
  
"I like have no idea."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Wanda stared down at Kurt, frowning as he rolled onto his side, clutching his stomach. She sat down on the bed near him.  
  
"So, I take it you're not feeling any better?" she asked. Kurt's eyes fluttered open and he stared over at her.  
  
"Mother?" he asked. Wanda rolled her eyes.  
  
"Kurt..." He grinned and rolled onto his back again.  
  
"I'm feeling a little better. Just don't make any sudden movements or anything like that, okay?" he said, indicating that any sudden movement that jolted the bed could make it worse again. Wanda nodded.  
  
"Think you'll be okay by morning?"  
  
"As long as I don't have to eat any of Kitty's cooking." he replied wryly. "She's a sweet girl, but her cooking isn't too great." He sighed. "Actually it's pretty awful." Wanda smiled, though she actually wanted to frown. She didn't know what this sudden new feeling was inside of her, but she knew that she didn't like it.  
  
He thought Kitty was sweet?  
  
Wanda shook herself. What did she care anyway? This was Kurt. Kurt, the one who had become her friend over the past few weeks through sheer persistance and trying to cheer her up. The goofball who would do practically anything to get a smile or laugh out of a person. Kurt was a friend and nothing more. But still....  
  
He thought Kitty was sweet?  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Wanda was frowning when she walked into Rogue's room. Pietro and Rogue looked up from their game of Scrabble (which Rogue swore that Pietro was cheating at) and Pietro eyed his twin warily. A frown on Wanda's face was never good. Rogue looked at Wanda, questioningly. She didn't share the exact same sentiment as Pietro, considering that Wanda had gotten much better at controlling her powers with time. And therefore, she wasn't as scared of Wanda as Pietro was. Not that the silver-haired boy would ever admit it.  
  
"What's wrong Wanda?" Rogue asked. "Isn't Kurt doing any better?"  
  
Wanda's gaze snapped to meet Rogue's and the lights flickered a bit, causing Pietro's gaze to become even more wary then before.  
  
"How should I know how Kurt feels? Do I look like a telepath?" she snapped. Rogue's gaze remained steady on Wanda's and the flickering of the lights began to slow down.  
  
"Pietro, why don't you let me talk to Wanda alone?" Rogue said. Pietro jumped up, all to happy to oblige. He began to speed out of the room but brought himself to a short and abrupt stop near Wanda.  
  
"Hey, Wanda? You're okay right? I mean it's nothing serious, is it?" he asked, his concern showing in the tone of his voice.  
  
"I'm fine." she replied shortly. When Pietro flinched a bit, Wanda softened and placed a hand on his arm before he could leave. He tensed. "I'm fine." she repeated in a softer tone. "Really, Pietro, I'm okay." He relaxed and smiled brightly.  
  
"Wonderful! Then I'll just leave you two lovely ladies to this obviously cheerful and sunny conversation while I go have a very manly talk with Kurt." he announced. And then he was gone in a blur of silver.  
  
As soon as he was gone, Rogue looked back at Wanda. "Sit down and tell me what's wrong." she ordered, pointing to the seat that Pietro had just vacated. Wanda raised an eyebrow at that and gave Rogue that was a mixture of skepticism and disbelief. "Don't look at me like that because I just gave you an order. Do it. Sit." Rogue pointed again, this time giving her a determined look, and sighing, Wanda did as she was told-for once.  
  
"Nothing. Nothing's wrong."  
  
Rogue rolled her eyes. "I'm not stupid Wanda. I can tell that something is wrong. Now tell me what it is."  
  
Wanda shot a glare in Rogue's general direction. "You're getting as pushy as Kitty or Jean."  
  
"There's no need for insults. All you have to do is tell me." Rogue paused and then decided that it was time for a different tactic. Something that no one would suspect from her, especially Wanda. It was certain to get a reaction. "Come on. Tell Auntie Rogue what's wrong." she teased. Wanda looked at her, startled at the tone of voice and choice of words and then burst out laughing. Rogue grinned. "Well?"  
  
Slowly, Wanda's laughter faded and she straightened. She looked at Rogue solemnly. "It's about Kurt." Rogue's eyes widened at Wanda's tone of voice. Wanda looked over at Rogue. "What?"  
  
"Oh my God." she breathed. "You like him, don't you?"  
  
This time it was Wanda's eyes that widened. "What?" she asked. "No!" She shook her head for emphasis. She did *not* like Kurt. No. No way.  
  
Rogue crossed her arms across her chest. "Really? Then why were you frowning because of Kurt when you walked in here?" She gave her a stern look and Wanda shifted uncomfortably. She wasn't used to these kinds of talks any more than she was used to being open with someone or to what she had felt when Kurt had mentioned Kitty.  
  
"Well..." she started. Sighing she stopped and then closed her eyes, staying silent for awhile. "He thinks Kitty's sweet!" she finally burst out.  
  
"You're jealous, aren't you?" Rogue asked, realization dawning. Wanda's eyes snapped open and her head snapped around in Rogue's direction. She glared.  
  
"No! I'm not jealous and I don't like Kurt! That'd be stupid." Wanda snapped. Rogue nodded.  
  
"Sure. Okay." she said, agreeing with Wanda out loud while inside she was laughing. The girl was in complete denial and she didn't even know it.  
  
But Rogue wasn't going to do anything about it. Hey, she may have progressed to actually having what Kitty referred to as "girl talks" with Wanda (and even some of the other girls sometimes) but she definitely wasn't going to start playing matchmaker. And even if she had wanted to, she still wouldn't of because she knew what Wanda's reaction would probably be.  
  
She wanted to live to her next birthday, thank you.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Hiya blue boy! Whatcha doing?" Pietro asked as he (literally) breezed in. He frowned and looked around the apparently empty room. "Blue boy?"  
  
Kurt looked down at Pietro from where he was hanging upside down from the hanging lamp. He tilted his head.  
  
"Did you need something, Pietro?" he asked, causing Pietro to look up startled. Quickly, he masked the shock and crossed his arms, tapping his foot so fast that it was a blur.  
  
"What are you up there for? Come on, I'm bored and Rogue kicked me out of her room when Wanda walked in looking like she was in need of that stupid thing known as girl talk. And do you know how unnatural that look is for Wanda? It was kind of scary. Really, why should they need to have a girl talk anyway?" Pietro said, all in one breath. There was a BAMF and then Kurt was standing in front of Pietro. Pietro coughed and waved one hand in front of his face, using his super speed to get rid of the smoke. "You really need to quit doing that, you know. Secondhand smoke. It's unhealthy for me, not to mention that the smell of sulfur will only cause girls to get that weird "I smell something" face and I can't have them doing that around me!" Pietro exclaimed. Kurt sighed and rolled his eyes as he realized that Pietro was in one of his more hyper moods. How the boy was managing to keep his voice at a speed they could all still follow, he didn't know.  
  
"What was wrong with Wanda?" Kurt asked concerned. Pietro's gaze sharpened. Though people would never suspect it of him, he was actually very perceptive when it came to what other people were thinking or feeling. And there was something about the way Kurt said Wanda's name that told him there might be more than friendship.  
  
"Why?" he asked, watching Kurt closely. Kurt looked a bit confused as he shrugged.  
  
"I'd just like to know. She's my friend." Kurt replied, shrugging. Pietro nodded, looking at him.  
  
"It's nothing serious. That's all I can tell you." Pietro said. Kurt started to protest. "Because that's all I know. Wanda didn't say anything and Rogue won't either." He smiled. "One thing about Rogue. You can always count on her to keep a secret."  
  
Kurt nodded and looked past Pietro as if he could see Wanda to find out what was wrong. "Yes, you can."  
  
"So..." Pietro started. "How do you feel about my sister?"  
  
"She's my friend." he repeated, still staring out the door.  
  
"Oh. Nothing else?" Pietro asked.  
  
Kurt's gaze flew to meet Pietro's. "What?"  
  
"I said, nothing else?" Pietro looked at Kurt expectantly. Kurt looked shock that Pietro would even suggest something like that.  
  
He shook his head. "No, Pietro." he said, still shaking his head. "I told you. Wanda's just my friend. That's all."  
  
Pietro nodded. "I was just wondering. Have to check what your intentions are towards my sister and now I know them."  
  
Kurt looked at Pietro strangely. "Right."  
  
Pietro studied Kurt, wondering how a person who always seemed so in tune with other people's moods and how they were feeling could be so out of tune with himself. Still, he didn't say anything as he rushed past Kurt and straddled his desk chair so that he could rest his arms on the top of the back.  
  
"Alright, blue boy, I've got a question for you. And I want you to think really hard about this because it's a very important subject. Something that people all over the world have debated. And now, I want to know which side you fall on." Pietro paused dramatically. "Britney or Christina?"  
  
As Kurt grinned and they began to debate the virtues of each singer and the pros and cons of each, Pietro let his mind wander. It was a good thing that he could let his mind wander and still be able to hold a conversation. It allowed him to study Kurt without seeming to obvious and think about everything that had happened. It also allowed him to think about how Kurt had reacted to the indication that something might be wrong with Wanda and to the thought of Wanda as more than a friend.  
  
Pietro almost sighed. It was very obvious to him. Kurt liked Wanda.  
  
And the poor guy didn't even know it. 


	11. Is This A Good Thing or A Bad Thing?

Disclaimer: Again...they are sadly not mine. One day when I become rich and famous I will own them...but until then... *glances at where Pietro, Rogue, and all the rest are locked in rooms* I'll just have to improvise. Oh don't worry they'll be released from there rooms...eventually. But until I am that rich and famous, they belong to WB and all them.  
  
A/N: OMG, I am so sorry that it took me so long to update this story! I can't believe that it took me this long. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed (and is still reading, lol). You guys got me to over a hundred reviews!!! YAY!!!! Okay so that reaction was reeeeally delayed but what can I say? I've been swamped with Homecoming decorating, tests, and writing papers. Plus I went home recently and I will be going again. But I hope it never takes this long for me to update again because I've been going nuts thinking of stuff for this. Of course, those are things that could happen in later chapters and not this one but that's beside the point. The point is...erm...well, crap, I forgot my point. So without further ado...onto the story!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Toad peeked around the corner, his eyes searching the hall for the one person that he wanted to see. He hadn't seen her since she had left and he missed her. His Scarlet Witch.  
  
Wanda.  
  
A grin spread across his face as he saw her walk out of a classroom. He hopped out from his hiding spot and started towards her, stoppping when he saw her stop and start talking to Kurt. He frowned. What was she doing talking to blue boy? He hopped over to her and looked between the two.  
  
"Uh, sweetums? What are you doing talking to the furry freak, yo?" he asked. Wanda frowned at the use of both nicknames.  
  
"Toad!" she exclaimed, frustrated. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Well, I was asking a question, yo." he replied as if stating the obvious.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I wanted to know." Todd said. "Why would you talk to him?"  
  
"Toad..." Wanda trailed off, hesitating for the first time when getting ready to tell Todd off. "Toad, I don't live with you anymore and I am not your girlfriend. You don't have the right to ask." She paused and felt a bit of sorrow creep into her, knowing that what she was about to say was going to sound cruel and yet, she didn't know how to soften the blow except by softening her voice. "You never did."  
  
Todd's shoulders slumped and Kurt remained silent, looking away from the defeated expression on his face. With that one sentence, it seemed that Wanda had gotten rid of any hope that Todd might have had of him and Wanda becoming a couple. Wanda couldn't help but feel sorry about it but she had spoken the truth. She'd never thought of Todd like that.   
  
"I understand, yo." he told her, his voice weighed down with sadness. Before she could reply, he walked away. Wanda sighed and turned to Kurt.  
  
"Did I do the right thing?" she asked. Kurt turned and looked at her, slinging an arm around her shoulder for support, leaving it there even when she tensed. Wanda still wasn't used to the casual touching like this with people and Kurt was determined that she would become used to it.  
  
"It was what you felt, wasn't it?" Kurt questioned. Wanda nodded. "Then you did the right thing." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Wanda relaxed a bit. It was unusual for her to ask what other people thought and she knew it. But with this...she'd had to know what Kurt thought. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at Kurt.  
  
"Come on. It's time to go back to the Institute." Not home. Not yet.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Hiya Roguey!" Pietro said brightly, appearing by her side suddenly. Rogue snapped her notebook shut, startled. Her head shot up and she met Pietro's laughing eyes. She sighed.  
  
"Who gave you sugar?" she asked. Pietro gave her a wide smile.  
  
"Sugar? Who-said-I-had-sugar?" By this time, Pietro's voice had started to speed up. Rogue shook her head.  
  
"Pietro..." she warned.   
  
"Daniels-gave-me-pixie-sticks." At this Rogue raised an eyebrow. Evan had given Pietro his favorite candy? Why on Earth would he do that? As if he had heard her, Pietro looked down at her. "He-said-I-could-have-them-if-I- left-him-alone."   
  
"Ah." Rogue nodded. So Pietro's need for pixie sticks had been greater than his need to annoy Evan. She never thought she'd see the day. "Pietro, are you feeling okay?"  
  
"I-feel-great!" Rogue glanced over at him and noticed that his foot had started to tap the ground at super speed. She could practically see the energy around him and knew that he was just dying to move, to run. She frowned. So why didn't he? "What's-in-the-notebook?"  
  
Rogue shoved the notebook into her bag. "Nothing. Just doodles." she muttered. Pietro stared at her, suspiciously. She was lying. He could tell. Tilting his head to the side, Pietro's thoughts raced through his head and he grinned. He'd just have to find out later.  
  
"Want-a-lift-home?" he asked. Rogue turned back towards him and gave him a stunned look. "What?"  
  
"Nothing...it's just the first time you've offered me a ride home in a long time." she replied. He smiled at her and when he spoke, it was at a normal speed again.  
  
"Well, then why don't you accept this great honor gracefully and hop into my arms?" When Rogue merely stared at him, Pietro smiled innocently. "How else am I going to get you home?" Rogue studied him before nodding. There was something about that expression that told her he was either up to something or considering something. And yet, she still agreed to it.  
  
She was probably insane to agree to go running with Pietro when he'd had pixie sticks and was most likely up to something but for once, Rogue decided it was time to do something impulsive.   
  
Pietro grinned as if reading her thoughts and swept her and her bag up in his arms and took off running in the direction of the Institute. As she felt the wind hitting her face, Rogue glanced down.  
  
Big mistake.  
  
Pietro's feet were nothing but a blur and the ground flew by. She stiffened a bit and instinctively gripped Pietro tighter. He glanced down at her and tightened his grip around her.  
  
Rogue let out a sigh of relief when they came to a stop at the bottom of the steps at the Institute. A grin still on his face, Pietro lowered her legs and bag to the ground though he kept his other arm around her waist. Rogue looked up at him, not moving her hands from his shoulders.  
  
Pietro stared down at Rogue, his face becoming serious. Rogue held her breath as she returned his steady gaze and didn't move. Slowly he began to lower his head until their lips were barely an inch apart. He paused, looking into her eyes and when he didn't see any signs of her moving away, he smiled.  
  
Suddenly there was a crash, followed by a shout and Jamie running around the corner. Pietro and Rogue jumped apart as if they'd been burned with a slightly guilty expression on their faces.   
  
"I'm going to kill them." Pietro muttered as Sam and Bobby appeared shortly after Jamie giving them a look that would have them buried if looks could kill. He turned back to Rogue who was staring at him with wide eyes. She leaned over and picked up her bag and didn't take her eyes off of him. The look in his eyes became concerned. "Rogue?" he asked. She shook her head and held up a hand, backing away from him.  
  
"I...I have to go." she said, her voice a bit shaky. Before Pietro could reply, she turned and ran up the stairs and through the door, leaving Pietro where he stood. He turned to watch her retreat and frowned.  
  
"What was that all about?" he wondered out loud. The only problem was, he didn't know if he was talking about her leaving or their almost kiss. He let out a sigh. He just better figure it out.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Rogue ran upstairs, passing by Storm without saying a word. Storm turned back towards her, a concerned expression on her face. "Rogue?" she called. Rogue didn't respond, she just kept going until she reached her room. She dropped her bag on the floor and closed the door behind her. She let out her breath in a rush and leaned back against the door. Frowning, she pushed herself away from the door and began pacing around her room, her movements edgy.  
  
"What was I thinking?" she asked. She shook her head and began to pace just a bit faster. It felt as if there was a weight pressing down on her and she dropped onto her bed.  
  
"How could I do that?" she said. "I almost kissed him. I almost kissed Pietro." She closed her eyes and dropped her head into her hands. "How stupid am I? What was I trying to do? Kill him? Put him in a coma?" Rogue's laugh was bitter. "Yeah, that'd be great. Put another guy in a coma because I don't know how to control my powers..." With a groan, Rogue fell backwards so that she was lying down. Suddenly her eyes shot open as something else occured to her.  
  
"Oh my God." she gasped. "I almost kissed Pietro." Why would she come so close to doing that? She hadn't had the urge to kiss a guy in so long and now that she did, it was Pietro? Pietro, her best friend. Was that all that it was? Was it just because he was her best friend? It had to be. She couldn't be developing feelings for him, could she?  
  
Rogue let out a shaky breath as that possibility, along with the fact of what could've happened to Pietro if they had kissed, came crashing down on her. She closed her eyes again and covered her face with her hands once again.  
  
What was she going to do?  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Pietro watched with satisfaction as the basketball fell through the net with a swish. He nodded and a small smile crossed his face. "And that's how you get it done." he said quietly. Falling silent again, he picked up the ball as it rolled towards him and he twirled it in his hands, turning to stare at the upper floors of the Institute. He studied the windows thoughtfully, his eyes scanning each one as if he could see every little detail through them, even from that distance.  
  
He knew Rogue was up there. Her door had been closed and though he had considered going in to talk to her, he thought that it'd be better if he figured out just what he was feeling or thinking before he tried to talk to her about it.  
  
And just what was he thinking? More importantly, what was he feeling?  
  
He knew he cared about Rogue. She'd become one of the few people that he knew he could trust and for a long time she'd been the only friend he'd had at the Institute besides Wanda. Maybe it was because she'd been a member of the Brotherhood first or maybe it was because she knew what it was like to have a parent who didn't care about your feelings, who just wanted to take over the world or whatever.  
  
But did he think of her as more than a friend? Or had that just been a momentary slip?  
  
Pietro shook his head, turned and threw the basketball at the backboard, watching as it bounced off and rolled away, stopping after it had gone a couple of feet.  
  
He didn't move, just stared at the ball and tried to sort out his thoughts. He thought of the way Rogue had looked when they had been standing there and smiled.  
  
Her cheeks had been just a bit flushed from the run and strands of her hair had fallen into her face from the wind. And she been holding onto him more tightly than she'd ever done before when he had taken her on a run in the past. He hadn't been able to help himself, he'd just suddenly wanted to kiss her.  
  
And what was that about? One kiss from her could be deadly. He knew that and yet he hadn't cared. He'd wanted to kiss her anyway. What would've happened if they hadn't been interrupted? Would he have kissed her or would he have stopped? Pietro shook his head. Why was he even asking these questions? He already knew the answer. If they hadn't been interrupted, he definitely would've kissed her. And she would've let him.  
  
So did she have feelings for him? Or had she realized who she was with and what they had almost done and that was why she had run? He frowned. He didn't like feeling this unsure of himself. It was time he found out how she felt. But how was he supposed to do that?  
  
As if a light bulb had gone off above his head, the frown disappeared and Pietro smiled. Of course. Why hadn't he thought of that earlier?  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Pietro glanced around making sure that no one was around before he casually walked into Rogue's room, which was thankfully empty. He looked around the room, his eyes taking in all the details of the room that he knew as well as his own. As his eyes landed on what he was looking for, he smiled.   
  
He was next to her bag in less than a second and he happily sat down and began to look for the notebook that she had been drawing in earlier. It never occured to Pietro to feel guilty about looking through her things. After all, it was for a good cause wasn't it?  
  
"Ha!" he exclaimed, triumphantly as he found the notebook. Deciding that he didn't want to bother with getting up, he began to flip through it, looking for the last page that she had drawn on. He had a feeling that whatever she had been drawing would give him his answer. Why else would she hide it from him when he showed up?  
  
Pietro stopped as he found what he was looking for. The last page that had been drawn on...was a picture of him.  
  
He was leaning against the edge of a doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. One ankle was crossed over another as well. Somehow, Rogue had managed to make his expression one of calm and impatience all at once and one eyebrow was raised. And there seemed to be an air of just barely contained energy around him.   
  
Pietro stared down at the picture as different feelings and thoughts raced through him. All at once, with just that one picture, things seemed to be clicking into place. He closed the notebook and put it back where he had found it before standing up and walking back into the hallway.  
  
Now if only he knew what to do about it. 


	12. Difficult Questions

Disclaimer: Of course they're mine. What were you thinking? That they actually belonged to Marvel and the WB? Nooooooo....that's just an illusion people. Don't believe it. I, an 18 year old college freshman, am the rightful owner of characters that originated in1963. That's right. *shakes head* Not really. But I had you going there for a minute didn't I?  
  
A/N: Once again, taking forever with the update...I know...sorry! Thanks for the reviews everyone, they're great! Anyway as you can see this story has pretty much hit a wall and I'm trying to break through it but I'm not being as successful as I'd like. Darn characters. They need to start talking more again...but, oooh! You can possibly help me out with that! Want to know how? Don't forget to hit the nifty review button at the bottom of the screen before you go! -wink- It'll be inspiring for them, I'm sure!  
  
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Pietro looked up as Rogue walked into the room. She walked over to him and sat down, not saying anything. After awhile, he looked over at her. "What is it?" he asked. She turned to him and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Nothing. I'm just waiting for that moment that you dash out of the room the second I walk into it. Isn't that what you've been doing the past few weeks?" she replied. He glanced away and stared at the wall. He shifted in his seat a bit, wanting to run, get away...avoid her the way he had been doing for the past few weeks. He wasn't sure that he was ready to deal with what he had discovered...about himself and about her. At least, not ready to deal with it while talking to her.   
  
Still...she didn't need to know that, did she?  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." he said, smirking and leaning back and crossing his arms, legs stretched out. He began to tap his foot just a bit impatiently when she didn't answer fast enough for him. Rogue raised an eyebrow at him.  
  
"Don't you?" she asked. When he only gave her one of his looks that clearly asked how she could even question him, she shook her head. "Well, I think that you do. And you know what else I think?"  
  
"Please. Enlighten me." Pietro said, instinctively getting ready for a fight. Rogue crossed her own arms.  
  
"I think you're a coward." Pietro's eyes widened and he shot straight up, turning towards her and narrowing his eyes.  
  
"What did you just call me?" Rogue raised an eyebrow, not backing down.  
  
"You heard me, Silver. You. Are. A. Coward." she told him, saying each word as if it were a separate sentence. When Pietro narrowed his eyes further she continued to stare at him. "Obviously, something is bothering you. What it is, I don't know. But I bet that it has something to do with me and you seem to be too scared to talk to be about it. And that makes you a coward."  
  
Pietro stared at her in disbelief. She had just called him a coward. He'd even given her a chance to take it back, and had she? Nooo...of course not. That'd be too simple. Did Rogue ever do things the simple way? No, why should she? That wouldn't make sense. Not that he wanted it to be simple.  
  
Where would the challenge be in that?  
  
He slowly smirked as he made his decision and that familiar glint appeared in his eyes. "You want to talk?" he asked. When she raised both her eyebrows a bit and nodded, he slowly nodded in reply. "Okay then, we'll talk."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Lance smiled as Kitty slid into the seat across him and she gave him a smile in return.  
  
"So, what did you tell them this time?" he asked, wondering how she had managed to get out of the house again, the way she did every week. Kitty shrugged.  
  
"They like think I'm at a weekly study group." she replied, motioning down to the backpack that she had brought with her. Lance's smile turned into a wry one.  
  
"So, I'm a study group, huh?" He smirked. "Never thought I'd hear that one." Kitty ducked her head.  
  
"Yeah, well...Scott would like totally flip if he knew that the two of us have been meeting once a week since like Pietro and Wanda moved in with us." she said, ducking her head a bit. Lance nodded in understanding. The last thing he really needed was Summers trying to get on his back just because he had a bee up his butt or something.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Kitty. Summers won't ever find out about these meetings." He paused and then got around to the reason he and Kitty were even here. "So, how are they?" Kitty looked back up at him and shrugged a bit.  
  
"Well, I think that Kurt and Wanda totally like each other and so does like everyone else. Now if they would just admit it. They seem to be the only two who like don't see it."   
  
"Yeah, even I could tell. And Toad seemed pretty depressed about it for a while. He may still be, I don't know. If he is, he hides it pretty well. I just don't know what to do about it. I'm not all that great at that stuff, you know?"  
  
Kitty nodded. "I understand. But other than that, Wanda's like fine." Lance looked up.  
  
"And Pietro? How's he doing?" Kitty shifted a bit.  
  
"Well..." she trailed off. Lance sighed and shook his head.  
  
"Still disappears the second he sees Rogue?" he asked. Lance had noticed that Pietro had suddenly started avoiding Rogue at school and then Kitty had told him that it was the same at the Institute.  
  
Kitty nodded. "Like totally. But I talked to Rogue and she said she was going to like corner Pietro sometime today and find out why he was avoiding her and all that." Lance smiled.  
  
"You think that the Institute will survive it?" he asked. Kitty snorted before smiling back.  
  
"Sure. I mean, it's not like it's going to turn into some big thing where they like end up killing each other." Kitty looked up at him. "I'm sure they're like talking it out right now."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Rogue and Pietro each sat, silent, as they stared in front of them, avoiding looking at each other. Pietro frowned. Weren't they supposed to be talking? They were supposed to be resolving their issues...or his issues...whatever. He shook his head. His issues. No way. He might be a little uncomfortable but he was too perfect to have something like an issue.  
  
Rogue turned her head towards Pietro. "You know, Speedy, one of us should probably say something before the end of the school year." He glanced over at her.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
They turned back to looking at the wall.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Kitty licked her lips as she looked down at the table. She didn't know why she was feeling so awkward. This was Lance, after all.  
  
And that, Kitty realized, was exactly why she felt so awkward.  
  
This was Lance.  
  
The boy who had first help her practice with her powers. Who had brought down their old school because she wouldn't run away with him. Who knocked her over so she wouldn't get impaled during track when Jean's powers had gone nuts. Who had tried to impress her by freaking out Principal Kelly had first come to the school. Who had agreed to go with her to the Sadies Hawkins Dance. The boy who had tried to get her to leave the mall the night they had first gone up against Wanda. Who had joined the X-Men for her. The boy who had fought with her, on the same side, against the Acolytes and the Sentinels. The boy who she called a hood not too long after that.  
  
Kitty bit her lip and looked up at Lance who had turned his head to stare out the window. She studied him before turning to try and see what was so interesting outside.  
  
"You think they'll work things out?" he asked suddenly. Kitty jumped a bit, startled, and turned to find Lance looking at her. She smiled a bit.  
  
"They always do." she replied. He nodded.  
  
"Good. It's just...from what you've told me...Rogue seems to be the best friend he's made there. And, to be honest, it's really weird not to see them together at school anymore." Lance told her. Kitty laughed a bit, nodding her head in agreement.  
  
"You're like telling me." she replied.   
  
Once again, another silence fell over the two and Kitty had to stop herself from sighing. She like totally hated it when these silences happened. Kitty looked down at the table and bit her lip. There was one way to break the silence. The only question was, did she have the courage to do it? Kitty looked back up and studied Lance briefly before taking a deep breath.  
  
"Hey, Lance?" Lance looked up at her, a questioning look entering his eyes.  
  
"Yeah?" he asked. Kitty took another deep breath.  
  
"Do you still like me?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Rogue watched with interest as Pietro paced restlessly in front of the window. He had finally given in to the impulse a few minutes ago and now he moved throughout the room after having sat still for so long. She smirked. It was pretty funny, actually.  
  
But it wasn't going to get him out of talking to her. They had actually started to talk for a while before they had gone silent again and now all she was doing was watching him pace. And now he was beginning to mutter to himself.  
  
"Pietro? What did you mean by what you said earlier?" she asked, interrupting whatever it was he was saying to himself. Pietro stopped and spun towards Rogue.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I said, what did you mean by what you said earlier?"  
  
Pietro sighed. "Which part?" he asked, looking down towards her.  
  
"The part about not expecting this." Rogue prompted. "What did you mean? What weren't you expecting?"  
  
Pietro froze. Of course she'd ask that question first. She couldn't ask something that would be easier to answer first. Like why he decided to wear this particular shirt today. The answer to that was simple. He looked damn good in it, but then what didn't he look good in? No, not Rogue. She just cut straight to the heart of things and asked the most difficult question.  
  
This really wasn't the type of challenge that he was looking forward to.  
  
So, he'd just do what he did best. If not literally, then metaphorically. He'd run away from the problem.  
  
Pietro shrugged. "No idea. Don't know what you're talking about. Isn't the weather great today? I mean, really. The sun's shining which means that it's warm outside which means that I won't have to wear bulky clothes to keep warm and deprive all the females of the sight of my perfect and wonderful body." he said, his words beginning to speed up slightly. Rogue rolled her eyes and shook her head before looking at him a bit more closely.  
  
She knew him to well to buy that act. And Pietro was really desperate to cover up something when he decided to talk about the weather. She studied him before sighing.  
  
"That's the biggest load of crap I've ever heard, Silver." she replied. Pietro frowned.  
  
"Are you trying to imply that I don't have a perfect and wonderful body? I'll have you know that I do and if you really want proof you can just go and ask-"  
  
"That's alright, Pietro, I'll take your word for it." Rogue interrupted, holding up a hand to stop him. She really didn't want to know how many girls had actually seen Pietro's body.  
  
"Well then, why would you even question that fact? Really, Rogue..."  
  
"Pietro!" Rogue exclaimed, cutting him off before he could get started again. Pietro stopped. Okay, so she wasn't letting this go which meant that running away from this wouldn't work. Metaphorically that is. He could always just start running right now. Rogue suddenly grabbed his arm. "Don't even think about it." she said, as if she had read his mind. He sighed a bit.  
  
"Damn." he muttered, lowering his eyes to the ground before closing them briefly. She looked up at him expectantly.  
  
"What is it, Pietro? What's wrong?" she asked. Pietro opened his eyes and looked up at Rogue.  
  
"You really want to know?" he said quietly. Rogue bit her lip and nodded. She wanted to know why the heck he was avoiding her like the plague. Didn't she? He let out a breath and she knew that even if she didn't, it was too late to stop him now. Pietro glanced out the window and then back to Rogue. "I saw your drawing."  
  
Rogue looked at him, confused. "What drawing?" she asked.  
  
"Your drawing. The one you were doing that day that I gave you a lift back here." he told her, elaborating a bit more. Rogue suddenly knew exactly which drawing he was talking about and she let go of his arm, eyes widening.  
  
"What?" she said softly, shock lowering her voice. He sighed and looked her in the eye.  
  
"I saw your drawing." he repeated. She took a small step back, retreat the first thing that came to mind. Then she stopped and stared at him.  
  
"How did you see that, Pietro? I didn't show it to anyone." At this, Pietro did look away and he shifted as if getting ready to make a break for it if he had to. When he didn't answer, Rogue narrowed her eyes a bit. "Pietro...how did you see that picture?"  
  
Pietro looked up at Rogue and decided that it was time to face the music. Besides, he had a feeling that if she didn't get an answer soon, she'd get mad enough to take off the gloves. He didn't really feel like being unconscious for any amount of time, so it would probably be better for his health if he just told her.  
  
"I looked at it." he told her.   
  
"And where was it when you looked at it?" she asked.  
  
"In the notebook." Pietro replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Rogue sighed in frustration.  
  
"I know that, Pietro, since it's still in the notebook. What I want to know, is where was the notebook when you looked at it?" Pietro almost sighed. He knew she wouldn't fall for that, but hey, he'd had to at least try.  
  
"Oh. That...right. It-was-in-your-bag." Pietro said, speeding his words up so that they were practically incoherent. Rogue stared at him.  
  
"Sorry, I don't think I heard that one right. Repeat that for me."  
  
"It-was-in-your-bag."  
  
Rogue crossed her arms. "At a normal speed, Pietro." This time, Pietro did sigh. Damn.  
  
"It was in your bag." he said, slowing his words down once more. Rogue stared at him and blinked in astonishment. She couldn't believe that he would actually have the nerve to go in her room when she wasn't there and then go through her things and look at her private drawings without even thinking of asking her.  
  
As Pietro bit the inside of his cheek and tried to give her a completely innocent look, she shook her head. Yes, she could. The jerk. In his mind it had probably been just fine for some reason. What that reason was, she didn't know. But she wanted to find out.  
  
"Why did you look at it?" she asked. Once again, Pietro gave her a look that said it should have been obvious.  
  
"Because you wouldn't show me." He shrugged. "So, I decided to find out why you were hiding it from me." Rogue nodded slowly as if in understanding.  
  
"Ah. I see. And did you find out anything?"  
  
At this question, Pietro stopped. This was it. This was where he could tell her what he was thinking, what he thought of the drawing...  
  
"Why'd you draw me, Rogue?" he asked. He didn't want to know if she had drawn him because of his good looks-that was a given in his mind-and she seemed to understand that.  
  
"Because...because I wanted to that's all. You're my friend." She glanced away. Pietro studied her and she shifted under his steady gaze.  
  
"Is that all?" he asked. Rogue looked at him.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Are we just friends?" he clarified. Rogue didn't reply. "Because if we were just friends, then there really wouldn't have been any reason to hide that drawing from me, now would there?" Rogue licked her lips nervously.  
  
"Pietro..." she began before she trailed off.  
  
"And another thing." he said, cutting her off. "Earlier that day, we almost kissed. And we would've kissed if Jamie and the others hadn't shown up. You and I both know that, Rogue. I wasn't going to stop and you certainly didn't look like you were going to push me away."  
  
"Just because-"  
  
"No, you know what? I don't think I want to hear your excuses about why it happened. Because it wasn't some weird, insane moment. That wasn't just a one-time thing and we know it. If it was, tell me. Look me in the eye, Rogue, and tell me that you don't want to kiss me." Pietro challenged, holding her by the arm, much in the same way she had done to him before. Rogue closed her eyes for a moment. She could do this. She could tell him that she didn't want to kiss him. She could lie and say that she hadn't wondered about what it would have been like if they hadn't been interrupted. She looked up into his eyes.  
  
"I..." she started. "I...don't..." she trailed off and then looked away, causing Pietro to smile in triumph.  
  
"Yeah. That's what I thought." he said as if confirming it for himself. Rogue looked back at him and gave him a look that cause Pietro to raise both of his eyebrows at before giving her a smile.  
  
"Look, Silver, just because I couldn't say it doesn't mean that-"  
  
She was cut off once more as Pietro leaned down and kissed her. 


	13. Courage, Whining, and Boredom

Disclaimer: Are they mine? Sure, why not? Well, I'll tell you why not. Because they already belong to Marvel and the WB. Not me, unfortunately. So there you go.  
  
A/N: And again with taking forever to update this! I know, I know. People are going to seriously start threatening my life I think if I don't get moving on this. The worst part is, I meant to add over my winter break. But did I get the chance to even get on the computer that often? Nooo...of course not. Sheesh. How wrong is that? Honestly. So, anyway, thanks again to everyone who has been reviewing and is still reading. Hopefully this will be worth the wait and as soon as I finish typing this, I'm going to try and pound out the next chapter. And then maybe no one will murder me....right? Guys? Right? Please?  
  
Oh and don't forget to hit that nifty little review button at the bottom of the page before you go! And now, onward! (Lord, I need to just take a moment and get out of this weird mood....oh, candy!!!)  
  
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Scott groaned as he stood up, rubbing his back. What had he been thinking? Agreeing to help Logan test run a new level of the Danger Room. His only explanation was that he must've been on another planet mentally because if he'd been thinking clearly, he would've made up some excuse and run as fast as he could in the other direction. Better yet, he would've gotten in his car and driven away.  
  
But no. Instead he'd answered without thinking and now here he was a few hours later, walking out of the Danger Room and happy to be in one piece.  
  
Logan gave him a look and shook his head as he walked by him. "Kids." he muttered. If he'd known that Scott would react like this he probably would've hunted down a couple of the others. Like Stripes or Wanda. Those girls knew how to handle themselves. Not that the other kids couldn't, it was just that the girls seemed to be better at it.  
  
"Go upstairs, Shades." he ordered as he left him behind. As soon as he was out of sight, Scott let out a sigh of relief. He was done. He was finally done.  
  
Scott walked as fast as he could towards the stairs, glancing in one of the rooms as he passed. He noticed that Rogue and Pietro were just sitting on the couch staring at the wall. He shook his head as he began to climb to the second floor. He'd never understand those two.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Jean looked up as she saw Scott walk by. Or well, it was more like a limp...maybe even a hobble. Frowning a bit, she stood up and walked over to the door as Scott stopped at the top of the stairs and stared down. He was wearing a loose pair of sweats and a t-shirt and he looked as if he was having a debate with himself. She raised an eyebrow and took a step out of her door.  
  
"Scott?" she asked. Scott turned around at the sound of her voice and gave her a smile.  
  
"Hey Jean."  
  
She gave him a small smile in return and looked at him in concern. "Are you okay? You look...." she trailed off.  
  
"Like I'm in pain?" Jean nodded. "That's because I am. I just finished helping Logan test out a new level in the Danger Room. The next time I'm not thinking and I agree to do that, just break my legs or something. It'll be quicker." he replied.   
  
Jean smiled. "I'll do that." As silence fell over the two of them, Jean shifted to the side a bit uneasily. She looked back up at Scott and considered something that she had been thinking of for awhile now. She bit her lip and held back a sigh. This was completely frustrating. No, it was completely nerve racking. What was she going to do? Well, she knew what she was going to do, she just didn't know how she was going to do it.  
  
Scott looked down at her and then away. Crap this was harder than he had thought it was going to be. He hated these awkward silences. What was he supposed to say now?  
  
Wait a minute. Jean was a telepath. Did that mean she could hear what he was thinking? Was he projecting his thoughts?  
  
Crap.  
  
At the same time, Scott and Jean looked at each other and then away from each other. If any one would've walked by, it would've been obvious to them that both Scott and Jean were nervous. And of course, the two who couldn't see this were Scott and Jean. It was something that seemed to happen all the time.  
  
"So..." Scott started.  
  
"Well..." Jean said at the same time. They looked up at each other and smiled.  
  
"You first." Scott said. Jean smiled.  
  
"It's alright, you go ahead." she offered. Scott shook his head.  
  
"No, really. You first."  
  
Jean nodded. "Alright." She paused. Now that he was listening and neither one of them were trying to talk, she had no idea what she was going to say. She took a deep breath, frustrated with herself. Just do it, Jean, she told herself. "Uh, Scott, I was actually wondering...." She trailed off and gave herself a mental slap when she faltered. "I was wondering if you wanted to go to a movie some time." she finished quickly. Scott stared at her, silently, and she began to get nervous.  
  
"What?" he asked. Had she really just asked that? The very thing that he'd been wanting to do? He sucked in a breath and then realized that Jean was staring back at him with a questioning look on her face.  
  
"I said, I was wondering if you'd like to go to a movie some time." Jean repeated. Scott smiled and nodded.  
  
"Yeah. I'd like that." he said. Jean let out a small sigh of relief before giving him a smile of her own.  
  
"Cool. Okay, then...we can decide when we go and what to see later then, if you want." she offered. Scott nodded.  
  
"Yeah." Jean smiled and then turned to go back to her room. She grinned.   
  
She'd asked Scott out on a date. And he'd said yes.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I don't want to." Wanda said in a whiny tone...or as close to a whiny tone as she would ever get. Kurt rolled his eyes and sighed. He'd never met anyone who wouldn't want to and of course, it would be Wanda that wouldn't. Figures. He wasn't sure he'd ever figure this girl out.   
  
"You're going. Now come on, Wanda, be a pal. Keep me company." he told her, giving her a pleading look and taking ahold of her arm so that he could be sure that she wouldn't run away or anything like that. Wanda shook her head and gave him one of her looks. It was a look that probably would've made the Brotherhood nervous. Kurt merely smiled at her.  
  
"Fine. I'll go. But I want to make it perfectly clear that I am finding this to be a form of cruel and unusual punishment." she stated. This time it was Kurt who shook his head.  
  
"It's an ice cream parlor, Wanda. You'll be fine. I promise it won't kill you and it won't send you flying back to the fifties or suck you into Pleasantville." Kurt assured her. Wanda sighed, coming close to pulling her arm away so that she could cross them over her chest before stopping herself. That would mean breaking contact with Kurt...oh Lord, she *did* like him. Which meant that Rogue was right. Damn. That meant that she'd have to pull her arm away on principle alone.  
  
"Alright." she replied giving in and pulling her arm away before crossing them over her chest. Then she lowered her voice to a mutter. "I'm still doing this under protest."  
  
Kurt rolled his eyes again and continued walking.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Man, this is boring, yo." Toad complained as he dropped down onto the couch next to Freddy, who was busy consuming a sandwich. He gave Toad a blank look.  
  
"What's boring?" he asked. Toad motioned to the house.  
  
"This! I bet that Lance is doing something interesting, yo."  
  
Freddy paused, as if hesitating. "What do you think Pietro's doing?" he asked. Toad shrugged.  
  
"Something more interesting than this, that's for sure." 


	14. Some Answers and More Questions

Disclaimer: You mean, you thought I owned them? Okay. Sure. That's exactly right, I do own them. Keep thinking that. I own them. Sure, and then I wake up and there goes that dream. I don't really own them. It's a sad fact of my life. One I will deal with. They really belong to WB and Marvel.   
  
A/N: Well, sorry again for taking so long to get these past couple of chapters out. I hope that these chapters make up for it. And either way, please let me know and don't forget to hit that nifty review button. And now onto the story!  
  
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Lance stared over at Kitty, shocked into silence. He was pretty sure if he'd been drinking water he would've choked on it or spit it out. His mind went completely blank as brown eyes stared into blue. Had she really just asked what he thought she had just asked? Was he dreaming? That had to be it. He just ended up in his own world, like he did when he was in class, and now he was having delusional thoughts. That was the only explanation.  
  
Kitty continued to stare back at Lance and when he still hadn't said anything, she shifted nervously in her seat. Oh boy. Maybe that hadn't been the best idea. Just totally blurting it out like that. Now he wasn't saying anything and just staring blankly at her as if...well she didn't know what.  
  
Lance blinked as Kitty shifted. Okay, so maybe she really had asked. Which meant that he wasn't delusional or fantasizing or hearing things. Which meant that she was probably wondering what the hell was wrong with him since he still hadn't answered her and was just staring at her like some kind of idiot or something. So he said the first thing that came to his mind.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Kitty's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "What?" she asked. Lance gave himself a mental shake. Okay, not what he had meant to say and certainly not what Kitty had wanted to hear if her expression was anything to go by. He took a deep breath.  
  
"Sorry...you just, well, you threw me for a loop, Kitty." He smiled a bit. "I guess I just wasn't expecting you to ask me that." Kitty looked over at him and raised her eyebrows. "And you're probably wondering why I'm just talking about all this instead of answering you." Kitty gave him a 'duh' look and nodded. Lance took a deep breath. "Okay then. I have an answer for you."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Rogue's eyes opened wide and she shoved Pietro back practically less than a second after he had touched his lips to hers. Pietro stumbled back, slightly dizzy, and he shook his head as if to clear it. He licked his lips and looked over at Rogue, who was still staring at him wide-eyed and had raised a hand to her lips. Neither one of them said anything as they continued to just stare at each other, each of their thoughts racing with super speed.  
  
"What-were-you-thinking?" Rogue demanded. Pietro stared at her.  
  
"What do you mean, what was I thinking? Wasn't it obvious?" he replied. Rogue raised an eyebrow and then rolled her eyes.  
  
"Are you kidding me? Oh please, tell me you're kidding." she muttered, though not exactly to Pietro, who smirked.  
  
"I kid you not, Roguey." he said brightly. She gave him a look before growing quiet again. Suddenly what had just happened seemed very huge to her...maybe too much so. She had to move. She had to get out of there and she had to get out of there now. Pietro frowned a bit as if realizing what she was thinking. He moved towards her. "Rogue." Rogue shook her head and took a step back from him.  
  
"Don't. I...I can't. Not right now...and I don't know when." Having said that, Rogue turned and ran out of the room. A moment later, the sound of a door slamming was heard and Pietro sighed. He knew he could go after her, and probably catch up to her, but maybe that wasn't the best way to go. He'd just give her some time before he went to find her.  
  
And while he did that, he could think...and maybe go bug Evan.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Rogue ran, unaware of how fast she was going until she saw that she was on the other side of town. She came to a sudden stop and cursed. Hell, she'd forgotten that she would be able to go so fast and hadn't paid attention to where she was going. And she didn't know how long she'd have Pietro's powers since their....erm, contact...had been so short.  
  
Oh, who the heck was she kidding? That wasn't just contact. That had been a kiss. And despite the fact that it had ended almost as soon as it had started, it'd been a damn good one. She bit her lip as she thought back to how it had felt and flushed slightly. Why was she even thinking this? It was pointless to even think of this. Despite how Pietro had kissed her, it didn't change anything. She still couldn't touch people. And what would be the point of touching someone when touching for just a second too long could knock them out or, worse, kill them? Rogue shook her head.  
  
No. Nothing had changed. She'd better get back to the Institute...and avoid Pietro for awhile. It'd be better that way.   
  
It had to be.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Evan was extremely close to screaming in frustration. Pietro was worse than a three-year-old who was full of questions (the main question being 'Why?') and even worse, he was so fast that when you moved to get away from him, he'd end up standing in front of you with that idiotic smirk of his on his face.   
  
Maybe if he punched him, he'd go away.  
  
Shooting Pietro a sidelong glance, Evan studied him and then curved his hand into a fist, tempted to at least make Pietro think he would do it. Pietro smiled as if he knew exactly what Evan was thinking.  
  
"Sorry Daniels, but that won't work. You're just not fast enough." he said, before laughing and moving away when Evan looked ready to try and go through with it.  
  
"Shut up, Pietro." Evan muttered. This only caused Pietro to grin before he looked at the clock and then frowned a bit. Rogue still wasn't back and it had been awhile already. Of course, usually his version of awhile was about, oh....ten minutes at the very most. Not the point. The point was, right about now seemed like a good time to go look for Rogue like he had been planning.  
  
"See ya later, Daniels. I've got better things do to." Pietro said, dashing out of the room. Evan sighed.  
  
"I really don't like him."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Kitty bit her lip and stared at Lance expectantly. Okay, so what was he like waiting for? He had an answer for her, so why wouldn't he just come out and say it already? If it was yes, then he should be telling her and they could have the big and happy moment. But...what if the answer wasn't yes? Oh Lord, what if the answer was no? What if he didn't think of her like that anymore and instead just thought of her as a phase he had gone through? She was the "I'm-going-to-date-a-silly-young-freshman-and-make- her-feel-important" stage of his life, wasn't she? This was bad. This was really bad. On the other hand, though, what if the answer really was yes? Then that would be good. Very, very good.  
  
All these thoughts raced through Kitty's mind at a speed that would've made Pietro proud. But who cared about making Pietro proud at a moment like this? Sheesh, Kitty, important moment here. Pay attention.  
  
Lance looked over at Kitty and took a deep breath. Here goes nothing....time to just get it out there. Not that he'd been very good at hiding it in the first place. At least that was his opinion. So how could she not know the answer? He didn't know, but since she didn't, he'd just have to tell her.  
  
"Yes." he told her simply. Kitty stared at Lance a moment, silent, eyes wide.  
  
"What?" she asked. Lance shifted. This was definitely not the reaction he'd been expecting. He kept his gaze on hers.  
  
"I said yes. I still like you." he said. Kitty smiled.  
  
"Good. Because...well, it's probably totally obvious that I like you too." she replied. Lance smiled.  
  
"That's what I was thinking." Kitty frowned at this.  
  
"Like, what is that supposed to mean?" she asked. As Lance realized how that sounded, his own eyes widened.  
  
"Wait. That's not what I meant. I just meant that I had been thinking that it was probably obvious that I still like you, not that it was obvious that you like me." Lance rushed to explain. Kitty smiled once more, trying not to giggle and failing. She reached out and put a hand on his arm.  
  
"Lance. It's okay. I like get it. No biggie." she assured him. Lance glanced down at where her hand was on his arm and nodded.  
  
"Right." he said, picking up her hand and holding it in his own. He looked back up at her. Kitty's eyes moved towards their hands and then she smiled. She'd been like so right.  
  
It was good. Very, very good.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Pietro frowned as he walked into Rogue's room. It didn't occur to him to knock before doing so, not that it would have mattered. Rogue wasn't in the room. And somehow, she'd managed to find a way home that meant they wouldn't see each other while he looked for her. What was that all about? Why would she want to avoid him? That made no sense. The only person who ever really tried to avoid him was Daniels, but his taste couldn't be trusted. Look at what he wore. Pietro snorted at the thought.  
  
He dropped down onto the bed, unmindful of how the bedspread wrinkled when he did so, and laid back.  
  
He'd just wait for Rogue right here. He had a feeling that they were going to have to have a little talk.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Rogue sighed as she walked into the Institute. By the time she had gotten half way back to the Institute, Pietro's powers had worn off and she hadn't been able to use it to her advantage any longer. Which meant that she had walked and done everything she could to take routes that she knew Pietro wouldn't think to look for her on.  
  
Since she hadn't seen him, she assumed that it had worked.  
  
Which was good, Rogue assured herself as she walked up the stairs and headed to her room. Very good. It meant that she and Pietro wouldn't have any run-ins and she wouldn't have to make up some lame excuse to leave.  
  
Things were working out.  
  
The wave of relief that she had begun to allow to wash over her vanished when she walked into her room. There, on her bed, was Pietro.  
  
She didn't have a chance to even turn around before his eyes were fixed on hers and he was standing up.   
  
"Don't even think about it." he practically ordered her, pushing her further into the room and shutting her door. He turned back to her and crossed his arms. "We need to have another talk." 


	15. Trust

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own them. Unless you count that whole "I borrowed them" concept then maybe they'd be mine...nope, that doesn't work. So yeah, they're not mine. They're Marvel's and the WB's...well maybe not so much the WB's anymore but that's just because the WB is full of idiots.  
  
A/N: Wow, I am so sorry that it took me so long to update but real life has been kicking my butt lately. Been a little stressful. But I finally managed to write a short chapter and I hope you guys enjoy it! Thanks to everyone who's still reading and reviewing this and to anyone who has just recently found it! Enjoy! (Oh and before I forget, no offense to anyone who likes Justin Timberlake, what is said about him in this chapter is just something my friends and I noticed and I felt it'd be amusing in this chapter.)  
  
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Rogue stared at him, her look a mixture of both disbelief and anger. It was mostly disbelief though. Had he really just said what she thought he had just said? Pietro shook his head a bit and rolled his eyes, reading her perfectly.  
  
"Don't look at me like that. Yes, I just gave you an order. So you're going to sit down and we're going to have another talk." Pietro told her.  
  
Rogue scowled at him.  
  
"Maybe I don't want to have another talk." she said. Pietro shrugged.  
  
"Too bad. We all have to do things in life that we don't life. I have to look at Evan, Justin Timberlake has to realize he's white..." Pietro gave her a pointed look. "And you'll have to talk to me." He pushed her down into a chair. "Deal with it and be honored." She raised an eyebrow and looked as if she was going to say something before he interrupted her. "No, don't say anything." Rogue rolled her eyes. And just how were they supposed to have a talk if he wouldn't let her get a single word in? "I have something to say and you're just going to have to sit there and listen."  
  
Rogue fought the urge to roll her eyes again. There was no way she was going to get caught doing that. Again.  
  
"I know you're freaked out about that kiss, but you shouldn't be. So, yeah, technically we probably shouldn't have kissed. Not the point. The point is that it was a good kiss. And I think we should do it again." He held up a hand. "Don't say I'm crazy. I'm not."  
  
"I seriously doubt that, Pietro." She shook her head. "What are you thinking? Kiss me again? Do you have a death wish?"  
  
Pietro let out a sound of frustration. "Nooo." He looked down at her before leaning against her desk. "I just want to kiss you again. Is that really so hard to believe?"  
  
Rogue looked at him as if the answer were obvious. "Yeah." Pietro rolled his eyes, shook his head, and let out a sigh. She was impossible. Really.  
  
"Well that's really stupid." he snorted. Rogue turned to look at him.  
  
"Did you just call me stupid, Silver?"  
  
"Not technically. I said that you not believing me is stupid, which I suppose when you think about it could mean that I was saying you're stupid. Up to you. Do you want to think of it as me saying you're stupid? Because I can make into that. But that's not as much fun and besides it's completely away from the point."  
  
Rogue shook her head as if to clear it. "And that would be..." she trailed off, a question in her voice. Pietro sighed.  
  
"Ah, Roguey, that would be the fact that not only do I want to kiss you again, but you want me to kiss you." All this was said in a smug tone that was pure Pietro.  
  
Rogue's eyes widened a bit at that.  
  
"What?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Wanda studied it, a suspicious look in her eyes, before she looked up at Kurt. He was pretty much the only reason she was even here. Okay, so he was definitely the only reason she was here. And she was sure that he was the only reason that she was even considering trying that...concoction. Or whatever it was.  
  
"What is it?" she asked. Kurt smiled, shaking his head.  
  
"Don't look at it like that, it won't bite you." he teased. She frowned at him.  
  
"What is it?" she repeated. Kurt's smile widened.  
  
"Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream. It's great. You'll like it."  
  
Wanda eyed the ice cream a bit warily. "I don't know, Kurt...it looks funny." Kurt raised an eyebrow and tried to keep from laughing.  
  
"That's the pieces of brownie that are in the ice cream. Just try it."  
  
"Well..." She looked up at Kurt and then back down at the spoonful he was holding out to her.  
  
"Come on. Don't you trust me?" he asked. The moment the words were out of his mouth, his eyes widened a bit. What a question to ask. Wanda didn't trust easily and he'd just blurted it out like...like...like he didn't know what. He looked at her cautiously.  
  
Wanda looked up at him and then slowly she leaned over and took the spoon in her mouth. Kurt's smile returned. He'd take that as a sign that she trusted him.  
  
Okay, so maybe it was just trusting him about whether or not she'd like a certain flavor of ice cream, but it was a start.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Rogue stared at Pietro in disbelief. He was kidding, right? Did he honestly mean that? Could he really be that smug? As she looked up at him, she got her answer.  
  
Oh yeah. He could.  
  
She fought the urge to either roll her eyes again or just shove at him. She settled for giving him a look that dared him to repeat what he had just said.  
  
"You heard me," he told her. "You want me to kiss you again."  
  
"And what makes you say that?" Rogue demanded. Pietro leaned down so that their faces were only inches a part. He smirked.  
  
"Your eyes."  
  
Rogue tried pulling back a bit and found that he had put a hand behind her head to prevent that. Her eyes moved from his to look to the side, since that was the only possible way for her to even glance at his hand. She looked back at him.  
  
"Pietro, what are you doing?"  
  
"I'm looking at you."  
  
"Why are you looking at me?" Pietro smiled.  
  
"Because I want to." His smile widened. "And because I'm going to kiss you again."  
  
Rogue's eyes widened. Oh boy. She had better get away from him.  
  
Now.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Lance, are you like sure you don't mind? I mean we can go back to the Institute...or well, I like can. But we don't have to stop if you don't want." Kitty said, looking up at him. Lance glanced down at her as he pulled to a stop at the curb. He smiled at her.  
  
"I'm sure. Don't worry about it Kitty. It's not a problem. Just means that we spend more time together." His smile turned a bit sheepish. That certainly didn't sound like he was part of the Brotherhood. If the guys could see him now they'd think he'd gone completely soft. He glanced at Kitty again as they climbed out of the Jeep.  
  
Well, okay, so maybe he had. Not that it was a bad thing.  
  
Neither one of them said anything as they took hold of each other's hand and began to walk to the door. Kitty glanced around a bit, trying to decide on what she wanted when she suddenly heard a slightly shocked voice behind her and Lance say,  
  
"Kitty?"  
  
Kitty's eyes widened as she and Lance glanced at each other before turning around to see Kurt standing there. She let out a breath as he looked at her and then Lance and then her again.  
  
She really hoped that he wouldn't freak out on her. She gave him a small smile and wave.  
  
"Hi, Kurt." 


	16. Another Step

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I will never own them. This is a sad fact of my life. They belong completely to someone else.  
  
A/N: I'm a horrible, horrible person. I know. I haven't updated in months and there are probably people out there who think that I've given up on this story. I haven't. It's just taking me longer than I thought with updates due to a small case of writer's block. Which I was still experiencing last night when I decided not to take it anymore and blasted through it. By working on this. Sorry the chapter is so short but I decided that I wanted this chapter to be just about Rogue and Pietro. Hope you enjoy. And thanks to anyone still reading this, welcome to anyone who is just starting to read this and please don't forget to review!   
  
If he'd asked her, she could've denied him. Denied him, it, and everything. And it would've been so much simpler if that were the case, she thought as she stared up at him.  
  
But this wasn't a question. This was a demand. Maybe even an order. She hated orders. Yet even as Pietro leaned down towards her, she couldn't move and wasn't sure she even wanted to anymore. Then he was kissing her and she was losing herself in the sensation of his lips against hers.  
  
And for the briefest moment, she reveled in it.  
  
He was pulling back now, a bit disoriented, but not enough to lessen the intensity of his gaze as he looked down at her. It occurred to her that this kiss was the longest time that she'd ever had contact with someone without knocking them out and she felt a current of shock run through her at the thought.  
  
"That's real." He said. "It's there and there's no use denying it." She shook her head, opening her mouth to say something but was cut off as he straightened, putting just a bit more distance between them. "You're a good friend, Rogue." He paused, letting that sink in, knowing that it wasn't something he went around saying everyday. "I want more." He was telling her what he'd known since the day he'd gone looking through her things and found himself staring at a drawing of himself. Rogue shook her head.  
  
"You ask for too much, Pietro." She said her voice low, her gaze steady. His eyes flared.  
  
"You don't ask for enough." He snapped at her. And, finally, Pietro said out loud what he was thinking, feeling. "You think I'm enjoying this? Do you think, it's a game I made up to pass my time? It's not. It's damn confusing, that's what it is. And I hate feeling confused. But I realized something when I saw that drawing, Rogue. I've already told you this once and I'm telling you again. I want you to be more than just a friend. And you're just going to have to deal with it!" he finally concluded in frustration.  
  
At that, Rogue let her eyes narrow and let her temper rise. She stood up, moving so that she was facing him.  
  
"Deal with it? You say something like that to me and I'm just supposed to deal with it? With how you feel? You arrogant bastard, what about what I feel?" she demanded. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe that was a one-time deal?" she said, not caring that her behavior said otherwise.  
  
"Was it?" Pietro asked. He turned his gaze towards hers, waiting for her answer. He wasn't sure exactly what he'd do if it turned out that all of this was just some weird fluke. Then he gave himself a mental slap.  
  
What was he thinking? Of course this wasn't a weird fluke. For one thing, it was him they were talking about and for another Rogue couldn't exactly deny that she'd been acting strange and trying to avoid him. And if it was just a fluke or something, well then why would she avoid him? She'd have nothing to worry about then. She couldn't deny what he'd seen with his own eyes.  
  
Rogue paused. Just by asking that one question, he was giving her an out, whether he knew it or not. This was no demand, and it wasn't an order. This time it was a question. And now, though she had the chance, she wouldn't deny it. She shook her head.  
  
"No." she sighed. "It wasn't, Pietro." Pietro gave her a slow smile that she could've sworn carried just a hint of smugness. Then again, it was Pietro.  
  
"Yeah. I figured." He said in reply. She shook her head as she looked at him, rolling her eyes a bit. And just that easily, any awkwardness they'd been feeling, any frustration, disappeared as they fell back into their old routine.  
  
Both of them knew that they hadn't completely solved the problem, whatever the problem might be, but they also knew that they gotten a whole lot closer to a solution compared to where they'd been earlier that day.  
  
"Come on." Pietro turned towards the door, pulling Rogue with him, deciding to let the subject rest for now. "I hear Tabitha's got a new boyfriend. Let's go find out who he is." Rogue shuddered at the thought of getting involved in this. Especially when she considered what had happened the last time Pietro had wanted to know who Tabitha was dating. Tabitha had accused Pietro of being an interfering nosey moron, tossed a little bomb in his direction, and walked out of the room. Not that that had made Pietro give up. He'd wanted to know since he and Tabitha seemed to make it a point to harass each other about whoever they were dating at the time. Everything that had followed just led to more chaos. Rogue shook her head again.  
  
"I'm doomed." She muttered. 


	17. Acceptance

Disclaimer: I own them. I so own them. As a matter of fact, they are right over there, in my room and I can take them out whenever I want to—wait a minute. Those are the DVDs. Never mind. Looks like I don't own them and that they really do belong to someone else. Darn.  
  
A/N: I know what you guys are thinking. "Another chapter and so quickly? It's a miracle!" I know, I know. Anyway, this chapter may be considered short too since it's concentrating mainly on Lance and Kitty and then Kurt and Wanda. I seem to be finding it easier for these chapters to just focus on only a few people each chapter instead of sections that go back and forth between them. I also know that I won't be able to keep that up throughout the entire story but for now, I've been able to update quicker like this. I hope you enjoy and don't forget to review!   
  
Ah hell, was Lance's first though when he saw Kurt. Trying to hide this fact, he ran a hand through his hair and glanced at Kitty. Not that he thought it worked that well, but there was nothing he could really do about that and he knew it.  
  
But really, running into one of Kitty's teammates hadn't been what he had in mind when he agreed to go for ice cream. He'd been thinking more along the lines of sitting at a table with just Kitty and no one bugging them. He should've known that wouldn't happen. The big question was how was Kurt going to take this?  
  
Kurt glanced from Kitty to Lance and back again. There'd been a time when he'd first come to Bayville that he'd hoped for something more than friendship to happen between him and Kitty. He'd realized though that the two of them would never be more than just friends and he'd moved on. He and Amanda had been together for awhile and though he knew that he'd once thought of her as a girlfriend, now all he felt towards her was friendship. And though Kurt didn't know it, now there was Wanda. Pietro knew it. Rogue knew it. Kurt and Wanda had yet to realize it.  
  
He let out a breath and shifted a bit uncomfortably at the silence.  
  
"So, um, you two are back together." He finally said.  
  
"Yeah." Lance replied, looking over at him. There was another pause. Then Kurt decided to ask a question that could very well cause Kitty to try and kill him for interfering. But the way Kurt saw it, since Kitty didn't have an older brother or anything, if he didn't ask then who would? He looked over at Lance and raised an eyebrow at him.  
  
"You got something to say?"  
  
"Are you going to hurt her?" As he asked this, he saw Kitty's eyes widen out of the corner of his eye. It didn't occur to him that if he and Kurt fought without powers, he could very well probably beat him up. Instead he considered the question and then answered it as best he could.  
  
"I can't guarantee that it won't happen but I can guarantee that I'm going to do my best not to." Lance answered. Kurt nodded and a smile crossed his face. That's all he'd wanted to hear.  
  
"Okay then."  
  
"That's it?" Kitty blurted. When Lance and Kurt both glanced at her, she added, "Not that it's like a bad thing or anything." She smiled. "Thanks, Kurt. You don't think you'd be able to like get Scott to so easygoing about this, do you?" Now Kurt looked at her with both eyebrows raised and an amused grin on his face.  
  
"The words 'Scott' and 'easygoing' practically never go in the same sentence, Kitty." He told her. Lance snorted, his agreement obvious. "Unless you catch him on one of those rare days." Kurt added. Kitty wrinkled her nose.  
  
"Sure." She said.  
  
"I'll let you guys get going now though. I was just going to get some water and you probably want your ice cream." Kurt said, completely understanding the need for a sugar rush. "See ya." He told them, walking past them and to the counter. That's when Kitty saw Wanda sitting at a table, a bowl in front of her. On the back of the seat across from her hung Kurt's jacket. Kitty's eyes lit with speculation as she turned to Lance.  
  
"You think they're here on like a date?" she asked. Lance glanced at Wanda and then Kurt. He'd never have suspected it, and even though there'd been that period of time where Toad had seemed depressed over the fact that his "sugar muffin" had moved on, he still couldn't be sure. So he shrugged.  
  
"In this town? Who knows?" he replied. He put his arm around her shoulders. "Come on, Kitty. I promised you ice cream."  
  
Wanda glanced up as Kurt got back to the table, setting two glasses of water down. She shook her head.  
  
"I still don't get why you had to go get water." She muttered.  
  
"Wanda, it's a fact of life that when you eat ice cream, you're going to get thirsty." He replied with a grin.  
  
"Well, that's stupid. You'd think it'd be the opposite, considering the stuff can melt into a liquid-y goop."  
  
"And sometimes it just melts down to a liquid. One of life's mysteries. Drink up." Kurt pushed the glass in her direction. Wanda raised an eyebrow as she looked up to see Lance and Kitty walking towards a table. She glanced back at Kurt.  
  
"Lance and Kitty?" she asked. Kurt looked up and followed her gaze before nodding.  
  
"Yeah. I ran into them. They're back together. That's what took me so long. I had to ask him about his intentions." He told her, using the same phrase that Pietro had used when he'd asked Kurt about Wanda.  
  
"Oh." Wanda said. She looked down at her water. She didn't see why he'd need to ask what Lance's intentions or whatever were towards Kitty. Well, there was one possibility of course, though Wanda didn't like it. She fought back a sigh as she came to the same conclusion that she had the other day.  
  
Unless he liked Kitty.  
  
Wanda frowned. She really hated the feeling she got in her stomach whenever she had that thought. 


	18. Just Like Last Time

Disclaimer: Own them? What do you mean, do I own them? Of course I do! What makes you ask that? They don't belong to Marvel or WB or anybody else but me.

Right. I'm sure you bought that. Nope, still don't own them. The day I do though…you'll know.

A/N: I'm a horrible person who should be shot or something. Yes, I know. I'm so sorry for not having updated in almost a year I'm sure. I only hope that people are still interested in the story and will still read and review. On the bright side, I've made a vow to start updating more regularly because I'm starting to make time to write, instead of just writing whenever. It helps that my schedule is made up of all morning classes. Anyway, here's hoping you guys enjoy the chapter because I've already started on the next one. Read, enjoy, and please review!

* * *

Snoozeville. That's what Pietro was thinking as he listened to his math teacher try and teach them all about exponents and integers. He really didn't care about all that. After all, he'd looked through the entire textbook quite a few times already. He knew the answers, knew how to get the answers, so why should he pay attention? There was no point.

He let out a sigh and gave the teacher an innocent look when he turned and looked in Pietro's direction. He smirked a bit as the teacher returned to his oh so boring lecture on numbers and rolled his eyes. Really, what was the teacher thinking? Imagine, expecting him to pay attention when he'd already learned all this.

"Boring, boring, boring…" he muttered. He held in another sigh. His only consolation was that class would be over soon.

But not soon enough. To him, the few minutes until the bell rang seemed to take forever. The minute that the bell rang, Pietro jumped out of his seat and made a break for the door.

Lance raised an eyebrow, as Pietro literally breezed past him in the hallway as he dashed for the doors that would lead outside. Some things just never changed. Pietro would probably always do that. And the day he didn't, something was seriously wrong.

Suddenly he heard a shout and he turned to see Pietro trying to look innocent while Evan glared at him. Lance smirked and shook his head. There was nothing new about that either. He stifled a laugh as he turned, only to find Todd and Fred standing there.

"Hey man, what are you laughing at, yo?" Todd asked. Lance paused, debating on whether or not to tell them. Finally, he decided, why not?

"Pietro getting Evan again." He said, a bit casually. Fred's eyebrows drew together.

"Why would you do that?" he asked, truly wondering. Lance let out a sigh as he looked at them. Okay, so maybe just keeping it simple was the way to go.

"Because it was funny."

"Still, man, I thought we were mad at him." Todd said. His gaze went passed Lance and over to where Pietro was laughing while Evan picked up his books and began putting them back in his locker. The look in Pietro's eyes said he definitely had something else up his sleeve. He could just picture what had probably happened and he thought that it was pretty funny too but that didn't mean he was going to show it.

But just now, he could admit, to himself at least, that he missed Pietro's antics. And Wanda's daily threats. Of course, he didn't really miss flying into walls when the threats turned into reality but still…

Lance sighed a bit. He should've known that it wouldn't be that easy.

"Look guys, it doesn't matter if we're mad at him or not. Heck, it's not about whether or not _we're_ mad at him. Because I can't force you guys to be mad at him or not. It's up to you how you feel about it. Me, personally? I kind of miss the annoying brat. And even if I was still mad at him that wouldn't change the fact that that was just funny." He gestured in Pietro's general direction before looking at Fred and then at Todd. "I'm not going to force you to do anything, but think about it, okay?" With that, he turned and began to head towards the jeep. They looked at each other before joining him.

On the way back to the boarding house, Todd began to think about what Lance had said. Lance had admitted to missing Pietro. And Todd knew he missed Pietro. He didn't think Fred would get mad if he said it. Hell, he was pretty sure that Fred missed Pietro too.

So maybe it was okay to admit it. Maybe it would be okay to even say hi or something to him now and then.

Todd's thoughts were interrupted as Lance pulled up to the house and he hopped out of the jeep. The group was silent as they made their way inside.

Todd waited until Lance had headed upstairs before he turned to Fred.

"Yo, Blob?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you…miss Pietro?" he asked. Fred was silent for a bit before he nodded.

"Yeah. I miss him."

Todd nodded, glad that he wasn't the only one. He dropped his bag onto the floor and then flopped back onto the couch.

"Me too."

* * *

"Want a lift?"

Rogue glanced over at Pietro who had appeared at her side with an entirely too smug look on his face.

"What did you do?" she asked, suspicion clear in her voice. Pietro widened his eyes a bit and gave her a look of complete innocence.

"Me? Nothing. Not one thing." He shook his head for emphasis. Rogue narrowed her eyes.

"Now I know you did something."

Pietro sighed and shook his head. Then he grinned and shrugged.

"Yeah. Let's just say Daniels is going to be running a little late today due to unexpected circumstances." There was laughter in his voice as he said it and Rogue couldn't stop the smile that appeared on her face in response. She didn't even want to know. Pietro glanced over at her. "So?"

"So what?" she said. Pietro rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"So, do you want a lift?" he asked again. He was tempted to shake his head again. At this rate, he wouldn't have to give her a lift because they'd be at the Institute before Rogue answered.

Rogue paused. The last time he had given her a lift had ended with an almost kiss and weeks of avoidance followed by two actual kisses.

Could she risk it?

She glanced over at Pietro out of the corner of her eye and studied him and the way he looked over at her as he waited for her answer.

_Why the hell not?_ she thought before she nodded.

"Sure."

Pietro grinned. "Then hang on." Before she could utter another word, he had scooped her up in his arms and was headed towards the Institute at a dead run. As they flew through the town, Rogue questioned her sanity, cursed Pietro, and came to a realization.

She was going to die.

Pietro let out a small laugh as he felt the way Rogue tensed in his arms. It wasn't anything new. She'd done this the last time too. And wasn't that funny because he was planning on doing something that he'd done last time too.

He came to a screeching halt at the bottom of the front steps and laughed outright when Rogue practically climbed out of his arms. She glared at him as she spun around to face him.

"Damn you, Pietro! You went faster than usual on purpose." She accused, crossing her arms over her chest. Pietro shrugged. It was true. "You could've gotten us killed, you know that? One wrong step and splat, there we'd be all over the sidewalk or the wall that you'd collide with."

Now Pietro looked a bit insulted, but that didn't stop her as she looked at him expectantly.

"Well?" she demanded. He said nothing, just raised an eyebrow at her. She let out a sound of frustration and threw up her hands before turning to head up the steps. Pietro grinned. He just loved getting Rogue all worked up.

"Rogue?"

"What?"

"Turn around."

"Why am I—" Rogue was cut off as Pietro touched his lips to hers, holding the kiss for a bit longer than the last time. He pulled back, dizzier than usual, but not by much. But he was pleased that he'd managed to kiss her again without passing out. As Rogue silently stared at him, a bit of shock on her face, he grinned cockily.

"Damn, I'm good."


	19. Shocking Realizations

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own them. Damn.

A/N: Look at that! I'm already updating! I'm so proud of myself. And the chapter is even a bit longer than the last one. Better and better. I don't think I'll be updating again within the next few days since I'm going to concentrate on finishing up the next chapter of a couple of my other stories that haven't been updated in a while. Thanks to those of you who already reviewed the last chapter, I hope you like this one as well! So, as usual, read, enjoy, and review!

* * *

"Excuse me?"

Pietro said nothing in response. He didn't need to. He knew exactly what that tone of voice meant and now he just waited for her reaction with a bit of a smug smile on his face.

"You're good? You're not good. You're a complete and utter moron." Rogue wanted to strangle him. What the hell had he been thinking, kissing her like that? Did he have a death wish?

"I am a genius." Pietro said simply as if it were a fact that everyone should be aware of.

"Genius?" Rogue's voice clearly reflected her disbelief. "What makes you say that?"

"Simple. I have found a way to touch you. Clearly if I move fast enough, and there's no question that I always do, I can kiss you for awhile before your powers kick in and you absorb my wonderful personality. It's perfect." He grinned as Rogue stared at him like he'd grown another head.

"It's crazy." She shook her head. "Not to mention dangerous." Rogue hesitated a bit before she spoke again. "I don't want to hurt you." The last was said softly as if she was unsure whether or not she wanted to be heard or not.

"Well you're not running up to lock yourself in your room, so that's a start." Pietro told her. Rogue let out a sigh.

"That's not what I meant and you know it, Pietro."

"So, it'd be okay to hurt me emotionally instead of physically?" he asked, a neutral expression on his face. Rogue closed her eyes as if she were trying to find patience.

"I didn't say that either."

"And yet, I don't think you realize that it doesn't matter if we don't touch because even if I remained conscious, avoiding me is only going to hurt me anyway. Besides, let's not forget that I've kissed you three times already and not once have I been knocked out by you." Rogue's eyes narrowed a bit.

"That could change at any moment." She threatened. Pietro's smile turned to a smirk.

"I don't think so. If you wanted to knock me out, I'd be down for the count already." It was said with such complete confidence that Rogue couldn't argue with him.

Not to mention that the jerk was right.

If she was going to knock him out, she would've done it already. She hated it when he was right. How was it that he seemed to know her almost as well as she knew herself? Maybe even better sometimes. Because right now, he was really hitting the nail on the head about what she would and wouldn't do. And she knew for a fact that he knew she wouldn't mind the kisses continuing.

But how long could they continue this before someone got hurt? Most likely Pietro.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by Pietro waving his hand in front of her face.

"Hello? Roguey? Anybody home?" Pietro shook his head as Rogue focused on him again. "You know, you really need to stop doing that." Rogue looked at him in confusion.

"Doing what?" she asked. Pietro sighed.

"Thinking."

Rogue just looked at him. Even with her thoughts seeming to fly through her head because of the brief contact, she still couldn't seem to keep up with him. Who was she kidding? It was probably impossible for anybody to realize how Pietro's mind worked.

"What?" was all she could think of to ask.

"I said you need to quit thinking. It's not healthy."

"Funny, you seem to prove the exact opposite every single day."

"Rogue, Rogue, Rogue. I'm serious. You need to stop thinking. Just feel. You're trying to analyze whatever it is that's between us when it's obvious that we're attracted to each other. And who could blame you? But overanalyzing things just isn't healthy. Then you become a world-class brooder and I don't think you want that. Just go with it and who cares what anyone else says or thinks? Do something selfish." Pietro continued to look at her, keeping his eyes on hers as if he could tell what she was thinking by doing that.

He really wasn't expecting what happened next though.

Rogue nodded slowly as she let his words sink in. She focused her gaze on him and bit her bottom lip before speaking.

"You know, Silver, I think you might be onto something." Pietro blinked in surprise.

"I am?" he blurted, his surprise evident in his voice. Then he realized what he'd said and gave himself a mental shake. "I mean, of course I am." He paused. He wanted to know exactly what she was thinking. "Just what exactly is it?" Now Rogue smiled.

"This." She said, stepping up to him and pressing her lips to his.

* * *

"Wanda?"

Wanda glanced up and blinked a few times as she saw who was standing in her doorway. That certainly hadn't been what she was expecting. She made sure she hid her surprise before answering.

"Yeah, Kitty?" she asked. The younger girl took a step into the room.

"Can I like talk to you?" Wanda raised an eyebrow at that. Again, not what she'd been expecting. She nodded and Kitty came further into the room to sit near her. She didn't say anything right away, just studied Wanda silently for a bit. Wanda shifted, not comfortable with the scrutiny.

"What?"

"What's your problem with me?" Kitty said bluntly. Both of Wanda's eyebrows went up at that.

"What do you mean?" she hedged. Kitty rolled her eyes.

"It's like totally obvious that you've got something against me. And I so want to know what it is because I don't like having someone mad at me when I don't even like know what I did."

Wanda fought back a sigh. So clearly she hadn't hid that as well as she thought. But what she was more worried about now was whether or not Kurt or anyone else had noticed. Not to mention she had no idea what she was going to tell Kitty.

"Who said I had something against you?" At that, Wanda fought not to roll her own eyes. Oh no, that didn't look like a completely obvious attempt to avoid the question.

"No one had to like say anything. I just noticed. So I want to know what it is." She continued to watch Wanda, who didn't say anything at first but instead looked over at the open door of the room. She could always just flat out tell Kitty but there was no way she was doing it with the door open.

Kitty followed her gaze and realizing what the problem was, got up and shut the door before returning back to her spot.

"Okay, no one can hear us now. So like what is it?"

Wanda hesitated, not sure how she wanted to do this. Hell, she wasn't even sure if she wanted to do this. But there was really no going back now, was there?

"Kurt likes you." There. She'd said it. She didn't have to like and she almost didn't want to see Kitty's reaction, but if there was anything that Wanda wasn't, it was a coward. And there was no way she was just going to leave now because she didn't want to hear how happy Kitty was about it or something.

And then Kitty reacted in the way that Wanda had least expected her to.

She burst out laughing.

"What?" she gasped in between her laughter. Wanda stared at her as if she'd gone crazy, which she was pretty sure Kitty had.

"I said Kurt likes you." She repeated slowly.

"You think Kurt likes me?" Kitty finally managed to get out as her laughter died down to only the occasional giggle. Wanda raised her eyes to the ceiling with impatience before looking back at her.

"That's what I said, isn't it?"

Kitty shook her head. "Kurt so doesn't like me. At least not the way you're thinking." She said. Wanda looked at her skeptically.

"He does."

"Why do you think that?"

"He thinks you're sweet." Wanda muttered. Kitty smiled as it became clear to her.

"That doesn't mean a thing. Wanda, that like doesn't mean he likes me. Trust me. A guy can think a girl is sweet and not like her as anything more than a friend. Besides, Kurt is practically like my brother and that would be so gross! And anyway, I like Lance and I'm pretty sure he likes…" she trailed off, abruptly shutting her mouth and Wanda looked at her with a bit of her own disbelief.

"Kurt likes someone?" she asked. Kitty bit her lip, debating on how much to say. After all, Kurt hadn't actually come out and said that he liked Wanda but anyone with a brain could totally see it.

"Well, he hasn't told me that he does, but I'm like pretty sure he does." She paused. "Do you want to know who?" Wanda shook her head.

"No." she said firmly. She looked away and frowned as she thought of what it could mean if Kurt liked someone else. She let out a sigh and turned back to Kitty. "Yes." Kitty smiled.

"Okay, so I like totally think that Kurt likes…well, that he likes you, Wanda." Kitty stared at Wanda, waiting for her reaction with a bit of excitement on her face. Wanda just stared blankly at Kitty before she managed to form one thought.

"Huh?"

"He likes you. As in as more than a friend. Now the question is, what are you going to do about it?"

Wanda sat back and fixed her gaze on a spot on the wall. Kurt didn't like Kitty. Kitty thought Kurt liked her.

Well, hell.


	20. Just Friends?

Disclaimer: I don't own them. Sadly, I never have.

A/N: Originally, I was going to make one big chapter. But in the end, I decided that I'd just post this as a short chapter instead. Don't worry, I've got the next chapter started already, so it shouldn't be too long before I post that. Anyway, what's happening is necessary to the story, plus I promised to be nicer to Evan. And those of you who know me or have heard…er, read…the way I talk about Evan, know what it was like for me to write this. It was weird and strange and I'm just going to let you get on to the chapter. Read, enjoy, and please review!

* * *

Kitty was going to scream.

She didn't think she'd ever met anyone more frustrating than Kurt and Wanda. When were they going to realize that they liked each other already? Better yet, when were they going to admit it? Wanda was already half way there since she had realized it. But had she done a thing about it since then?

No, of course not.

Why would she? That'd make things easier for Kitty. She sighed. She knew that Wanda wouldn't want her to interfere but maybe it was about time she did.

Maybe she should call Lance for help.

Kitty grinned at the thought of Lance playing matchmaker and barely contained the giggle that wanted to escape. That picture just didn't work in her mind. But then again, Lance could be pretty good at giving advice. And since it was about Wanda, she knew that he'd give her advice. If she worked at it, she might even get him to help her set up Kurt and Wanda.

Her decision made, Kitty turned and headed back to her room and dropped on her bed. Grinning, she picked up her phone and dialed the number that she knew by heart. She settled back as she waited for someone to pick up on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hey Lance." Kitty said, glad that it had been Lance to answer the phone. The last time she'd called, Toad had answered and it had taken forever for Lance to come on the line. Something about Blob, a hose, and a cat. She so didn't want to know. He'd sounded very frustrated that day. Today, she could practically hear him smile.

"Hey Kitty. What's up?" he asked.

"I need your help."

* * *

"Whoa, watch out! Coming through!" Evan exclaimed as he maneuvered his way through the crowd on his skateboard.

Today was a good day so far. He and Pietro had pretty much managed to stay out of each other's way. The sky looked pretty clear, which meant that he could stay out longer than usual. And he had managed not to crash into anyone.

Almost as soon as he had that thought, Evan collided with someone.

"Aw man!" he said as he sat up. That just figured. The only thing that could make this worse was if he had just collided with Pietro.

"Are you okay?"

Okay, that definitely wasn't Pietro. Not only would Pietro have already told Evan to watch where he was going but that was definitely not a guy. Wasn't that just great?

Almost dreading who he would see Evan looked up, surprise flickering over his face.

"Amanda?" he asked. She smiled a bit.

"Hi. Are you okay?" she repeated. He nodded, standing up before helping her to stand as well.

"Yeah. I'm fine. What about you? Are you hurt?" She didn't look hurt but you never knew.

She shook her head, brushing the dirt off her pants before looking back up at him.

"Nah. Just a bit startled. I wasn't expecting to run into you." She smiled sheepishly. "Literally." Evan shrugged.

"Don't worry about it. It was more my fault anyway. I'm just glad you weren't Pietro." he said wryly. "I really didn't want to deal with him today." She laughed.

"No, I'm definitely not Pietro."

"Hey, why don't I buy you a soda?" Evan suggested suddenly. "You know, to make up for running you over." Amanda hesitated.

"I don't know…"

"Just as a friend. Promise." he added, seeming to know why she was hesitating in the first place. Yeah, she and Kurt were no longer together or anything but he wouldn't want Kurt to think that they were sneaking around as a couple behind his back. Amanda nodded.

"Sure. I'd like that." she said with a smile.

* * *

Over two hours later, Amanda laughed at something Evan had said. They were still sitting in the same booth and they'd done nothing but sit there and talk. Who knew that they had so much in common?

"Are you serious?" she asked, still laughing. Evan nodded.

"Yeah. Rogue was about ready to kill me and Kurt." He grinned. "As a matter of fact, she almost did. We got lucky." Amanda giggled at the image that brought to mind. Their laughter faded as they looked at each other and silence fell between the two. Slowly, Evan leaned forward and pressed his lips against Amanda's.

When he pulled back, Amanda's eyes were wide and he scooted back a bit in his seat.

"Sorry…I know I said it was just as friends. I couldn't help it though." He shifted a bit as he looked across at her. Amanda slowly nodded before smiling.

"Actually…that's okay." She said. "I…I liked it." Evan's brows went up in surprise and a bit of confusion.

"Huh?"

As if to prove her point, Amanda leaned forward and kissed Evan this time.

Neither of them noticed Kurt watching them with a shocked expression from across the street.


	21. Thoughts and Risks

Disclaimer: Not mine. Maybe one day, but I seriously doubt it. Ah well…

A/N: Thank you so much to all of you who reviewed! It really helps me get going on the next chapter. And I've gotten some nice compliments from a couple reviewers, so another huge thanks to you guys. Also, in response to one review, yes Evan and Amanda do seem to be moving a bit fast, though that's a bit how I wanted it to seem. A bit fast and a bit confusing possibly. I'm glad you noticed! It's going to be addressed in one of the upcoming chapters.

So again, thank you for all your wonderful reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Kurt spun around. He hadn't been expecting to see that. Ever. He glanced back, just to be sure he had seen Evan and Amanda together. Yeah, there they were. Right there, in the window. He turned back around and almost ran straight into Wanda, who had walked out of the shop a few minutes behind him.

"Um, hey Wanda." He said a bit nervously. Wanda looked at him a bit curiously.

"You okay, Kurt?"

"Oh fine. Really. Come on, let's go." He started to walk away when Wanda placed a hand on his arm.

"What is it?" she asked. Kurt shook his head.

"Nothing." He moved as if he was going to turn again and Wanda let him, though she turned to see what he had. She froze at the sight that met her eyes.

"Oh. I see." She said quietly. She couldn't stop the pang that went through her at the thought that maybe both she and Kitty had been wrong. Maybe it wasn't either of them that Kurt had feelings for. Maybe he still had feelings for Amanda.

Kurt paused. Something about Wanda's tone had him hesitating. He turned to look at her and was about to say something when she started walking.

"Come on. Let's get out of here."

* * *

Kurt frowned as he sat at his desk and thought about what he'd seen earlier. It wasn't that he minded the idea of Evan and Amanda together. It wasn't something he'd ever thought of but he didn't mind it. After all, he and Amanda weren't together any longer so he wasn't going to get mad about her moving on. But there was something else about the whole thing that was bugging him.

If they were a couple, why hadn't Evan said something?

They were friends. Evan was actually probably one of the best friends that he'd ever had. So why wouldn't he tell him at least?

That's what was bugging him. Evan hadn't told him. That was like…a violation of the guy code or something.

Well, okay, that wasn't entirely what was bugging him. Wanda's reaction was bugging him too. Why would she react like that to seeing Evan and Amanda together? She didn't like Evan like that, did she?

And what business of it was his if she did anyway? It's not like they were dating or anything.

Kurt sighed as he leaned back, tilting the chair back on its back legs. He supposed he could go find someone to talk to but since he'd brought them back by using his powers he had no idea who was even home. He hadn't seen Scott or Pietro around and he really didn't want to talk to one of the girls or any of the new recruits about this.

Which is exactly why he hadn't moved from his room just yet.

Kurt sighed again. He was just completely confused about all of this. And he had no idea what to do about it.

* * *

Wanda frowned as she glanced in Rogue's room only to find it empty. She hadn't been able to find Rogue or Pietro anywhere. They had to have beat she and Kurt home.

Then again, since they'd left school early, anyone would've beaten them home. But school had let out not too long ago and if Wanda knew Pietro, he would get impatient before running back home—and most likely bringing Rogue with him.

She didn't even know why she was looking for them. It didn't seem like it was that long ago when she wouldn't have even thought of looking for someone to talk to when something was bothering her. Let alone her brother or an X-Man.

Granted, she now lived with the X-Men but that wasn't the point.

She didn't really know what the point was, but she knew that that wasn't it.

Wanda groaned as she walked back into her room. The look on Kurt's face when he'd seen Evan and Amanda through the window…she didn't know how to described that. But she knew that it had hurt.

And she didn't like it.

She really wanted ice cream. Which was just another thing that was because of Kurt. Had she ever wanted ice cream before this? No. And now look at her. She was craving ice cream as comfort food.

Where the heck was Rogue?

* * *

Rogue pulled back from Pietro to find him staring down at her as if he was wondering what kind of drugs she had taken. She merely smiled at him.

"What? Are you the only one allowed to surprise someone with a kiss?" she asked, smirking a bit. Pietro merely stared at her, raising an eyebrow. Of all the things he had thought would happen, Rogue being the one to initiate a kiss hadn't been one of them.

"No." he said, shaking his head as he finally answered her question. "That's just now what I was expecting."

"Which would be the point of a surprise." Pietro rolled his eyes.

"Not the point, Rogue." Rogue tilted her head back a bit.

"And the point would be…what exactly?"

"We have now kissed four times. One of which is because you made the first move for once. Which, by the way, just proves that I was right and you need to stop thinking. But the point is, it wasn't me who initiated the kiss that time, it was you. What do you think that means?"

"That I wanted to kiss you and followed the impulse." Rogue told him. She knew that she wanted what Pietro wanted. She wanted to take that next step and go from just friends to more. But she just didn't know if she could take the risk. Almost as if he had heard her thoughts Pietro shook his head in frustration.

"You know you can be really annoying." he sighed. Rogue frowned at him. And _she_ was supposed to be the mood killer?

Yeah, right. She didn't think so.

"Well excuse me. I don't know how you put up with me." she said sarcastically. Pietro raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, don't get all offended. You know you think I'm annoying sometimes."

"Try most of the time." Pietro waved a hand as if that wasn't important.

"Yeah, whatever. The point is you really need to get out of the land of denial." He held up a hand to stop whatever reply she was going to make. "No, seriously. Obviously, you're attracted to me. And again, can't say I blame you. Clearly, I'm attracted to you. I really don't see the problem, except for one. I'm not a patient guy, Rogue. And the waiting is driving me nuts but I'm willing to do it. I'm willing to wait and I'm willing to take the risk." He kept his gaze steady on hers as he said this. "The question is, are you?"

Rogue stared back at him, indecision warring inside her. She just didn't know. Would she take this risk?

Could she?

* * *

Kurt glanced up when he heard footsteps in the hall. Curious, he got up and opened his door and walked out, glancing around to see who it was. He froze when he saw Evan, who apparently hadn't spotted him.

Almost as if Evan had heard Kurt's thoughts, he looked up and stopped in his tracks at the sight of Kurt standing there.

"Um…hey man." Evan shifted a bit as he looked at him. He had just gotten back from his…whatever it had been with Amanda and he was a bit confused about it himself. And the way Kurt was looking at him wasn't really helping. "What's up?"

Kurt paused as he considered how to answer before he took a step further from his door. "I think you and I need to talk, Evan."

At that, Evan almost grimaced. He had a bad feeling about this. He didn't even know why, he just had a feeling. But he nodded anyway and headed towards Kurt's room.

"Yeah." was all he said. He held back a sigh as he did.

It was almost as if Kurt knew.


End file.
